Why Cardio?
by Filiel
Summary: AU. Beca Mitchell is a famous DJ. One night Beca collapses on stage and learns that she needs to start watching her eating and exercise regularly to balance her consuming lifestyle. Beca hires Chloe Beale, former Olympic figure skater, now personal trainer to get her in shape. Chloe wants to keep their relationship purely professional but Beca is making it hard for her. T.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Pitch Perfect fic. I always wanted to incorporate sports into the world of Pitch Perfect so this is what I came up with. Rated T for later chapters. Please review! **

Chapter 1.

Beca Mitchell wasn't a big fan of exercise. She had suffered through P.E. classes in high school and even joined the track & field team for a while since she was actually pretty fast at short distances but she had ended up quitting after a while. She felt like she didn't really fit in with the other people who defined themselves as jocks. Beca Mitchell was most definitely not a jock. She didn't find any friends on the team and decided to call it quits.

Music was something she could do on her own and it gave her way more kicks than sports anyway.

Exercising was totally dismissed from her life at the end of high school when Beca participated in a local talent competition where she showcased her mixing skills. She was discovered there by her future manager Luke who eventually went on and signed Beca for his record label. He was amazed by Beca's talent and predicted boldly that she would be the next David Guetta, except that she would do some of the singing on her tracks as well.

The next months went in a haze as Beca first finished high school and soon after moved to L.A. In the next couple of years Beca prepared to release her debut album and made herself a name in the music business as a DJ. When she finally published her debut album it went straight on the top of the charts in US and Canada and Europe followed soon after. The self-titled debut broke the gold record limit in three weeks. Beca's debut was praised for her fresh take on mixing old classics with new chart toppers.

Beca was having more jobs offered that she could possibly take and Luke had to turn down most of them in order to balance the workload the DJ was suddenly getting. They seemed to manage quite well for the first year and so Beca didn't see any reason to change her eating habits that included a lot of take out and fast food. Taco Bell was her especial favorite and when she mentioned the company on a late night talk show once she was showered with gifts from the company that wanted to make sure their biggest spokesperson would enjoy their food in the future too.

After her rise to fame Beca didn't really bother with exercise since she felt like she didn't need to. Walking to her car, on the stage and shopping counted as exercise in her books. It wasn't like she had to exercise for a role like so many actors and actresses did in Hollywood and besides no matter how much or little she ate everything seemed to just fall through her. She remained tiny no matter what.

It only required one night to remind Beca Mitchell that she was just a fragile human-being after all.

It was an opening night of a new club called BRRN in Los Angeles where the owner had personally asked Beca to DJ. It was going to be a massive high profile event with a red carpet and celebrity guest list that other events on the same night could only envy. For Beca this was just going to be a normal working night where she would provide the fuel that set people in flames on the dance floor. That's what she did best.

She even decided to make a rare red carpet appearance before the event because as Luke had reminded her hadn't made any public appearances except for her gigs in months. Usually Beca avoided the red carpet hassle as she didn't feel very comfortable in the spotlight and people yelling her to look at the camera and pose in ways that just made her look awkward. She wasn't a trained model and for her the big Hollywood smile and poise didn't come naturally. That was one of the reasons why most photos taken of her featured her trademark smirk as Beca felt most comfortable doing that rather than a big full-on plastered smile.

The photographers seemed to go crazy when Beca stepped out of her limo on to the red carpet that night. There were so many lights and screaming people that it almost made her dizzy. Luckily she had her assistant Asley to guide her through the chaos and tell her when to stop, smile and keep going. She made it through though and felt more comfortable again when she entered the dim lights of the club.

Her DJ equipment was already set up for her and a there was also a cocktail glass with her favorite drink on the table. Beca smiled to herself when she slipped her headphones on as more and more people were starting to enter the club. After a few hours when the club was starting to get really full Beca queued some songs for the next hour or so and decided to take a break. Ashley had been bringing her all kinds of different cocktails during the night as usual but this time Beca felt like something wasn't right. Her head had started aching after the last few cocktails and she felt her heart beat was picking up constantly like she had been running on a treadmill. All of a sudden Beca felt exhausted like she couldn't lift a limb and leaned heavily on the mixing table. Her heart chose that moment to start beating even faster like it wanted to burst out her chest. The people on the dance floor were now just a big blurry mess in Beca's eyes. Beca felt like she couldn't breathe and then her knees gave in and she collapsed on the floor.

No one on the dance floor noticed though as music was still playing and would play for the next hour as Beca's playlist went on. It was Ashley who found her lying on the floor face down as she was on her way to bring the DJ some water this time and urge her to take a break. Seeing Beca lying on the floor was one of the most horrible moments of Ashley's life as she kneeled down next to Beca and tried to stir her. She then checked her pulse and was relieved to find one. She called an ambulance and quickly texted Luke.

When the ambulance arrived most of the photographers were still in front of a club waiting for some drunken stars to stumble out but this time they got much more than they had bargained for. The sight of ambulance men bringing the famous DJ Beca Mitchell on stretchers with an oxygen mask over her mouth made them crazy. Ashley tried her best shielding Beca's face from the photographers but failed miserably as there were so many of them. Those pictures were going to be all over the media in the next few hours.

They made it through the crowd to the ambulance and Beca was lifted in without further delay. Tears were streaming down on Ashley's face as she climbed in and sat next to Beca. She didn't react to the photographers shouting questions about what happened since she was in such an utter shock. Ashley hoped Luke could do something to calm them down.

When Beca's eyes fluttered open she didn't know where she was or what time it was. As the world began to sharpen she noticed she was lying in a strange bed in clothes other than her own. On both sides of the bed there stood people who looked more than relieved that she was awake. She could make out Luke's and Ashley's faces and on the other side there was someone she hadn't seen for two years: her father.

"Hey", Beca greeted weakly and offered a small smile.

"Beca thank God you're awake! We were so worried about you", her father exclaimed grabbing his daughter's hand on his own.

Beca cringed at the contact.

"Yeah, still here and planning to stay with you guys even longer."

Ashley let out a sound between a sob and a sigh and smiled when Beca turned to look at her.

"It was so scary Beca. I just found you lying there your face on the floor. I thought – I thought you were"

"I'm not dead. Wasn't dead. I just collapsed. I'm glad to hear you thought it was serious enough to organize this family reunion though", Beca said not sounding very pleased to see her father there. They hadn't been very close after Beca had decided to skip college and move to L.A. straight out of high school. For her it was a now or never chance but that her father couldn't quite comprehend.

"I think Ashley did the right thing calling me in. What if it would've been something more serious? I am still your dad you know", her father stated looking still concerned.

"She could've called Amy, Stacie or Jesse or some of my other _close_ friends. They're the ones who I'd like to have on my bedside if it ever gets serious", Beca answered coldly staring at the door to the room.

Her father kept his eyes on Beca's as he offered:

"Beca. I know we haven't really kept in touch for the past few years and I realize you're angry but I will have you know that I will be standing on your bedside again if I have to. You are my daughter Beca and I love you. I wish we could start over."

"I'm angry at you? I feel nothing for you. I've had the best years of my life when I decided to escape the hellhole you and stepmonster call your home. I've achieved so much. All of it without your help. I've never been happier in my life. I've had the chance to get to know people who actually care for me", Beca quipped gesturing to Luke and Ashley who had been silently listening to the father daughter argument. She finally met her father's eyes. He looked sad and defeated.

"I see now is not the best time for this conversation. But I will say this. I am very proud of you Beca. You did the right thing when you followed your dream. I assume you still have my number so I hope you'd call me sometime. I would appreciate it."

With that her father nodded to Luke and Ashley and exited the room. He had left Beca speechless. Her father actually felt proud for her daughter? Even though Beca didn't want to admit it a tiny bit of her felt warm and joyful after the comment but she silenced the feeling quickly and turned her attention to the two people left in the room.

"Now that that's sorted…I'm hungry. Can you find me some lunch in this place?" Beca enquired as she looked around the room like lunch was going to just appear from one corner.

Ashley said she would find her something to eat and left the room. That left Luke and Beca.

Luke looked at her protégée and shook his head.

"I shouldn't have let this happen Beca. I'm sorry."

"Well unless you were in the booth with me for the whole night I don't see how you could've-"

"I don't mean just last night. We should've been more careful. I didn't want to overload you with work now that it's being offered from every direction. But I see now that things need to change. We need to start paying more attention to your well-being. I don't want to experience something like this ever again."

Beca looked at her manager who seemed dead serious. Was it that bad?

"But I'm awake now and I feel just fine. Maybe it was just a one-off thing. Who knows if it's going to happen again?"

Luke shook his head again still looking concerned.

"Well that's the risk I'm not willing to take. And that is why I told your doctor that it would be okay if she wants to run some tests."

"My doctor? Since when have I got a doctor?"

"Since today, miss Mitchell" came a voice from the door. In the door frame there stood a very attractive tall blonde with green eyes. Her smile was warm as she approached the brunette lying on the bed and Beca noticed her legs that seemed to go on for ages under the standard white coat and a sunflower yellow dress she wore underneath.

The blonde reached the side of the bed and introduced herself:

"Dr Aubrey Posen, specialist in food science and nutrition. You can call me Aubrey. Good to see you're awake miss Mitchell."

"Just call me Beca, Dr Posen, I mean Aubrey", the DJ slowly returned as she was still struck by the aura of attractiveness surrounding the blonde.

"Very well Beca. I'd like to run some tests to be sure of what we're dealing with here. It shouldn't take more than couple of hours before you can go home. Is that okay with you?"

Beca nodded and agreed. Aubrey then told them she would be back in a few moments and that Beca shouldn't worry too much as they were just some standard tests. She left the room but not before giving Luke a bright smile on her way out.

Luke had been smiling from the moment she saw Beca's face when Aubrey made her presence known in the room. He couldn't help letting out a laugh when the blonde doctor exited the room.

"You don't mind Aubrey taking care of you now, do you?"

Beca shot her a look but smiled:

"I wouldn't mind her taking a _really _good care of me if you know what I mean but somehow I got the feeling she's not playing for my team. The look she gave you though was quite promising. You should ask her out. And besides she's not even my type. "

"That didn't seem to be a problem when you were practically undressing her with your eyes when she entered the room", Luke returned and earned the finger from Beca.

"It's just the whole _I'm hot but also smart as hell_ vibe that I got from her which was pretty sexy. But you know that I'd go for red over blonde any day if I had to choose. There's just something so _sexy_ about that hair color."

Luke didn't have time to answer when the door opened and the blonde doctor entered the room again. Beca was able to give her a smirk and greet instead of just staring like the last time.

Aubrey told her that the tests had proven what she had thought in the first place (Beca rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, she just though _hot and smart_). It seemed that she had multiple vitamin deficiencies that were caused by a bad diet (_too much Taco Bell _Luke mouthed behind Aubrey's shoulder) and that she should also start exercising in order to balance her irregular working hours and stress that the work seemed to cause for her body. Aubrey offered to take care of her nutrition as her newly appointed doctor but she recommended that Beca would seek the services of a personal trainer if motivation for exercise was something she struggled with. Beca chuckled at the comment and told her that it would probably be the best option.

It seemed that Aubrey had expected the answer since she reached for her coat pocket and took out a business card that she handed to Beca.

"You might've heard of her. She's a good friend of mine and has helped quite a few people in Hollywood after her retirement from professional figure skating. She's one of the hottest names in the business at the moment. I highly recommend you give her a call. I'm sure she'd love to work with you."

Beca looked at the business card in her hand and smiled. She vaguely remembered the woman's face. Beca made a mental note to herself to google the woman. The card read Chloe Beale: personal trainer, Olympic silver medalist, NCSF Personal Trainer, Fitness Instruction, BSc (Hons). On the left there was a close up of a gorgeous redhead with a confident yet assuring smile. Her blue eyes stood out against her light complexion. There was no question whether Chloe Beale was the hottest name in the business. Beca felt her mouth go dry. She'd give the redhead a call the second she was out of this hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm glad to hear people think there's some potential in this. I really enjoy writing this story. Reviews are welcome.**

Chapter 2.

Beca got out of the hospital in an hour and Luke offered to drive her home. Beca gladly accepted and they settled on a comfortable silence during the drive to Beca's house. They were lucky as they didn't run into any photographers on their way out of the hospital's back door. As they were driving Beca fished out her phone from her pocket and dialed the number on the business card. It took only a couple of seconds before the call was picked up.

"Chloe Beale speaking. How can I help?" _Beca could already think a lot of ways. _

"Hi, is this personal trainer, Olympic silver medalist, NCSF Personal Trainer, Fitness Instruction BSc Chloe Beale?"

"Sounds like you've been given one of my business cards. Yes this is the Chloe Beale. To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking to?" _Oh the pleasure is all mine Beca thought._

"This is Beca Mitchell calling." _Let's be official then…_

Beca could hear the surprise in Chloe's voice when the other woman exclaimed:

"Miss Mitchell! This is a pleasure indeed. I have to say I'm a fan of your music."

Beca was surprised how genuine and sincere the woman on the other end sounded. She was so used to flattery that people didn't really mean that she was caught off guard. She stumbled a bit with her next words.

"Aubr- I mean Dr Posen gave me your card. I recently started working with her on my nutrition and she thought you would be the person to help me with setting up an exercise routine. Let's be frank. I need to make some changes in my life. _(Or so my manager says Beca thought.)_ Especially after what happened on Thursday night…"

She trailed off and waited for a response. The line went quiet for a while. Beca wondered if she'd been too straightforward. Then she heard Chloe clearing her throat.

"I'm honored that a person of your status is considering working with me. I'm sure that I alongside with Dr Posen would be able to help you to lead a healthy lifestyle to balance your busy career. There are of course a lot of things we need to discuss in order to find the best possible solutions for you but I'm positive we could make this co-operation _fruitful_."

"Well Aubrey seemed to think you're the best one out there so I thought I'd give you a call. She seemed like a person whose advice you should take."

Beca heard a light chuckle on the other end and smiled at the sound before she could stop herself.

"Yeah, well, Dr Posen can be quite _convincing _when she chooses to. I guess that's why she is so good in what she does."

Beca was amazed how easy the conversation was flowing between them. It felt like they had already met.

"Anyway you must be a very busy woman miss Mitchell and I don't want you to spend your whole day talking to me so maybe we could agree to meet in order to discuss."

Beca quickly went through the calendar on her phone. Next week was busy except Friday morning/early afternoon. And there was a reason for leaving that morning free. She was hosting a housewarming party on Thursday. The guest list comprised of her group of celebrity friends and some of her closest friends who were on their way to celebrity status. When her group of friends got together for a party Beca was sure to feel it the next day. Beca really wanted to meet Chloe though and so they agreed on 2pm on Friday. That should give Beca enough time to recover from the party.

As Beca got home she googled Chloe Beale. She silenced the voice inside her head calling her a creep by thinking that Chloe Beale would probably do the same to her.

As YouTube videos popped up in the first results she remembered. Chloe Beale was that woman from those sultry Magnum ice cream commercials from couple of years ago which featured the new flavors called the Seven Deadly Sins. The woman had been skating in the commercials but Beca had never guessed that she was an Olympic silver medalist.

The second video on the list was titled 'Chloe Beale Is Bulletproof'. Beca shrugged and clicked on the video.

It was some kind of skating event. The camera zoomed on a lone figure that was crouched down on center ice in a small spotlight. As the first notes of Madilyn Bailey's version of Titanium hit Beca's ears she felt chills go through her spine. It was the combination of the song and the close up of Chloe's face as she slowly started to move when the song started. She wore a simple silver black dress that shimmered lightly. Her eye make-up was dark and made her look hard. Her lipstick was a very deep shade of red as Chloe's mouth formed one tight line. She looked determined. Beca watched Chloe unfold the story behind the lyrics in turns with sharp and soft movements as she was shot down but got up every time. It was a very moving performance.

Beca stared at her phone's screen without really seeing anything as she was mesmerized by the delicate performance. She missed the first question of Chloe's off ice interview.

"_What a beautiful performance by Chloe Beale here at the Olympic Games Gala! It must've been such an emotional moment to perform on that ice again after claiming the Olympic silver medal here just a few days ago!"_

"_Thank you. It's been a crazy past couple of days. I want to thank for all the positive messages I've received from so many people. Your support has been amazing. You guys have made me feel like a champion."_

"_I must ask since I'm sure a lot of people are wondering if there was a message you wished to set out with that performance."_

At that Beca's head shot up and she looked at the screen again.

_Chloe's lips curled into a small smile as she took her time before answering the question._

"_I wanted to perform tonight as a thank you for all the people who believed in me and supported me through the Games. The lyrics have a special meaning to me. Everyone watching at home can make their mind on what was the message" Chloe returned and gave a wink to the interviewer. _

"_I rest my case. Chloe Beale, Olympic silver medalist, ladies and gentlemen. Congratulations once more!"_

The video came to an end.

Beca looked thoughtfully at the screen. Making music and figure skating had something in common. Beca told stories through her music, Chloe did it through skating. It was about the emotions they evoked in people. She couldn't wait to meet her in person.

Chloe Beale was known as America's figure skating sweetheart. She had captured the nation's hearts by her silver medal worthy performance in the Winter Olympics a year ago. She was already proclaimed the Olympic champion by the TV announcers but because of a judging scandal that involved bribing judges to give higher scores to another skater Chloe had fallen into second place. She had protested alongside her coach Lilly Onakuramara whose words no one seemed to hear but whose eyes shot daggers in a way that if looks could kill the Olympic Arena would've been full of bodies that night. There was nothing that could be done as the allegations came into light only after the Games and so Chloe Beale didn't get the ending she had dreamed of for her short but successful figure skating career.

Chloe decided to retire at 22 after the Olympics due to multiple injuries to her hips and back she had suffered throughout her figure skating career. She felt like she needed to give her body a break after enduring years of excruciating training routine that her sport demanded.

Chloe Beale didn't retire from sports though as she continued to graze covers of various fashion and fitness magazines where she shared her workout regimen and gave tips to ordinary women. Her college degree in Fitness Instruction and NCSF Personal Trainer Certification were now put into good use. The connections she had made during her skating career through sponsorship deals and public appearances made it easier for her to get her foot in the door in the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles.

After spending one year in the business she was quickly establishing herself as the go-to personal trainer in Hollywood and many to be A-list celebrities sought her services to develop tailored exercise programs for their needs. Chloe Beale had taken up Hollywood by storm developing new training routines that she had benefited from as a professional athlete and that were now used by some of the up and coming stars in Hollywood.

Now Chloe Beale was on her way to meet a celebrity that had topped the entertainment news around Hollywood after her famous collapse on stage and hospitalization a week ago. Beca Mitchell represented a challenge different than any other of her former clients. But if and when Chloe swore to herself she would make Beca Mitchell an epitome of health she was on her way to become the unproclaimed guru of personal trainers in Hollywood. She wouldn't have to worry of finding a job in this city after dealing with such a high profile client.

When Beca Mitchell had called to ask for her help she had been thoroughly surprised. Chloe must admit that she hadn't been expecting the call. She decided she had to thank Aubrey properly when she would see the blonde doctor again.

Aubrey and Chloe had met and befriended in high school. They had been separated for college though as Chloe chose to pursue her sports career while attending the University of Delaware on a figure skating scholarship while Aubrey went to Princeton for med school. They had kept in touch though and as Aubrey had settled in Los Angeles she'd offered Chloe to live with her when Chloe was still starting her own business.

After some success Chloe could already afford her own place but they both found it nice to have someone to keep company in the house so they settled for the arrangement for now. Apart from the few guys Aubrey occasionally brought home there weren't many overnight visitors in the house since Chloe had not once brought anyone home for the night. Aubrey wanted nothing more than see her friend happy so she had brought up the topic a couple of times to ask if there was anyone she was interested or had been interested in. First Chloe had just shrugged off the topic by saying that she just hadn't found the right one and didn't like the idea of just being casual but when Aubrey had reassured her that she wouldn't judge her no matter what she told her Chloe had finally broken down.

Chloe had known for the better part of her life that she was attracted to girls more than guys but her sport had been the decisive factor why she had decided to keep it a secret. Chloe never felt the need to label herself one way or another but in her case her sport did it for her.

Women's or _ladies' _figure skating as it was officially called put the athletes within a very tight traditional gender role and calling oneself something else than a heterosexual certainly wasn't a part of it.

Also when Chloe became more well-known in her career and she received sponsorship deals and was portrayed in advertisement as the America's sweetheart in a very traditionally feminine role she didn't dare to risk the deals by coming out and risking losing the funding for her skating. She didn't have excessively wealthy parents to financially support her career either. Her parents supported their daughter in other ways.

Unlike many people thought professional figure skating wasn't a sport that provided its top athletes huge paychecks. The prize money for competitions was only a fraction of what professional tennis players received for example and so even the top athletes' income depended on the sponsorship deals they were able to secure. Chloe just simply couldn't risk her career and as she was painstakingly aware of the fact that there were no top lesbian figure skaters to look up to. Ladies' figure skating didn't seem ready for someone like Johnny Weir who had shaken up the figure skating world by openly proclaiming he was gay and there was no way he would try to hide it from the world.

Chloe had met Johnny Weir as they were both part of Team USA for the last Winter Olympics and she had seen the nasty side of Johnny being openly what he was. Chloe didn't think that she was ready for that kind of attention especially since she didn't have anyone who would share the load and for whom she would be willing to go through it all.

Aubrey had then gently pointed out that as long as she didn't correct people's perceptions of her sexuality she would probably be approached by a lot more guys than women if everyone thought of her strictly as heterosexual. Aubrey had also made a good point of her career being now behind her and her income not being dependent on sponsorship deals anymore. Besides Chloe lived in Los Angeles now and was a part of the entertainment business. Where could she find more tolerance towards gay people than here?

Chloe thanked Aubrey for what she'd said but told her that she shouldn't expect her coming out interview on Oprah anytime soon. She wished to focus on her personal training career right now but dating clients was definitely out of the question as she didn't wish to have a bad reputation to start with and as a newcomer she would be spending a lot of time working long hours with clients.

Chloe stated that she would put herself out there more in her free time and if anyone were to pick the cues she wouldn't deny it. Chloe still thought she needed someone who would make it all worthwhile to really expose herself to the world. She wasn't ready to face it all alone.

As Chloe made her way through the more affluent neighborhoods of Los Angeles she though back to the phone conversation she'd had with the DJ. Beca Mitchell was a big star in music business but it didn't come across the wrong way during their conversation. The famous DJ had sounded surprisingly _normal _(as much as Chloe hated that word). It had been a nice conversation. Chloe had seen pictures of the DJ of course but the two had never met in person. What Chloe could gather from the pictures Beca Mitchell was quite a vision with her chestnut brown hair, refined facial features, glowing pale skin and dark blue eyes. Looking at her body Chloe would've thought she did some form of exercise but then again looks could be deceiving. Maybe Beca was one of the many Hollywood celebrities who had been lucky in the gene lottery.

Chloe looked at the address Beca had given her over the phone and looked at the GPS of her car. They had agreed that Chloe would first come to Beca's home so that they would discuss how they should proceed and how often they would meet.

It seemed that Beca lived right on top of a hill with no other houses close by which made sense when it came to the DJ's reputation for being a very private person. The climb to the house would serve as a great challenge for exercise Chloe thought as she drove up one of the longest driveways she'd ever seen.

Chloe came to a stop when she reached the gate leading up to the DJ's house. She dialed in the code Beca had given her and the gate gave way instantly. She drove in and was greeted by a sight of a very modern looking house with mostly glass facade. The parts made out of stone were painted white. Chloe bet that the view must be amazing from up here over looking Los Angeles.

She parked her Smart in front of the large garage and reached for her duffel bag on the passenger seat. Chloe checked that she had everything she needed including some forms, a contract for Beca to look at, pen, notebook, water bottle and a yoga mat. Chloe checked her watch and noticed that she was exactly on time.

Chloe got out from the car, locked the doors and walked to the front door of the apartment. She rang the doorbell once and stood there waiting. She could see her reflection on the glass surface of the large window next to the door. It was a hot summer's day in Los Angeles. Her flaming red hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was wearing a light green crop sports top showing off her ripped abs. On top she wore a sleeveless light green hoody that flung open at the moment. Short blue training shorts accompanied by matching trainers completed the look.

Five minutes passed and Chloe knocked again. They had clearly agreed to meet at 2pm. She hoped the DJ hadn't forgotten. She waited for another five minutes before calling the DJ's cell phone. The call went to voicemail after ringing a few times. Chloe chose not to leave a message – yet. She didn't have other appointments scheduled for today and besides she really wanted Beca as her client.

She began walking in order to go around the house as she was sure there was a patio at the back of the house. Maybe Beca was there and couldn't hear her knocking on the front door. She tried calling her cellphone again. No one picked up but as Chloe kept walking she heard a phone ring somewhere in front of her. As she turned a corner she came across an open patio area accompanied by a large swimming pool. The house seemed to be almost all glass on this side and Chloe could see the solar panels on the roof. Environmentally conscious celebrity she noted as her eyes settled on the view that the location offered.

It was as astonishing as she had expected. She could see various neighborhoods of Los Angeles far below and the ocean on the horizon. Beca must've paid a truck load of money for this place and Chloe was positive she couldn't dream of affording a place like this for years to come even though she worked with A-list stars that certainly paid well for her services.

Sighing and turning to look at the patio she now noticed something or more like someone lying on a sofa bed curled under a blanket. Chloe went closer and noticed an iPhone lying on the table next to the sofa bed. The screen read _3 missed calls _from '_Hottest name in the business'_. Chloe frowned and wondered who on Earth that might be. She was pretty sure this was the phone she had heard ringing earlier. She tried calling Beca's number again and let out a small laugh when the phone on the table rang again and showed '_Hottest name in the business'_ calling_._ Chloe took it that this was Beca's phone. Chloe wondered what had earned her the nick name and took a closer look at the figure curled up on the sofa bed who must be the famous DJ.

Chloe stood next to the sofa bed and tried to make sense of the sleeping figure as she lay on her side with her dark brown hair splashed across her face. Chloe removed the hair gently from the sleeping woman's face and was now sure that this was indeed DJ Beca Mitchell, sleeping soundly on the patio of her house at 2 in the afternoon.

Beca looked younger than in the pictures she'd seen but as Chloe full well knew pictures at magazines were always touched before going into press. The DJ didn't look any older than 20 and Chloe was positive that she couldn't be much older. She herself had retired from figure skating at the age of 22, which was a year ago now. Chloe turned to look at the patio around her and for the first time noticed the empty glasses and cans lying around. It looked like there was a big party last night. That would explain the passed out DJ on the patio. Chloe shook her head and furrowed her brow. This was going to be way more challenging than she had originally thought.

_On the night before…_

Beca had told her friends to dress casual since she wanted her housewarming party to be a fun and relaxed event where she could just enjoy the company of her friends, good music and good food. She had been to too many uptight Hollywood events where everyone seemed to be a huge fan of everyone's work and strutted around like they thought they were performing ballet.

There was no way Beca was having any of that in her own party.

Amy Patricia, who was known as Fat Amy by her stage name was the first to arrive. She was an up and coming Tasmanian stand-up comedian in Hollywood. She and Beca had met on one of Amy's gigs when they were both starting out and had exchanged numbers as they seemed to get on really well. Later on they started working together as Amy acted as the warm-up act for some of Beca's gigs.

The Tasmanian woman gave her a bear hug and asked her if Beca was okay with the fact that she had brought her boyfriend_s_ with her. As Beca glanced past the blonde to see two well-groomed men dressed in navy uniforms she just shrugged and let them in. Amy assured Beca that they were very well-behaved. Amy always knew how to surprise her.

It wasn't long after Amy when one of Beca's closest friends Jesse Swanson arrived.

Beca made an aww sound when Jesse pulled a bouquet of flowers behind his back and handed them to Beca. He was a sweet guy. Jesse was Beca's former high school boyfriend who had been the first person Beca confessed to being gay. They had remained friends after the revelation and they shared a common passion for making music. Jesse's dream was to score movies though but he had decided to attend college first. He had moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream after graduation. He had already worked in some small scale productions but was still waiting for his breakthrough project that would put him on the map in Hollywood.

After Jesse's arrival a steady stream of guests had come in and they were now enjoying some drinks and food while listening to music. Beca tried to mingle as much as she could. As there were a lot of guests who arrived in different times Beca had already raised and drowned quite many champagne classes when her assistant Ashley told her that there were some new guests at the door.

Beca excused herself from the group she'd been talking to and headed towards the door. She screamed in excitement as she saw Stacie Conrad, who was the third of her closest friends with Amy and Jesse, to walk through the door. They hadn't seen each other in a month as Stacie had been shooting the latest cover of Sports Illustrated swim suit edition in London.

Stacie Conrad was a model and a Victoria's Secret Angel who Beca had met when she had been asked to DJ at one of the Victoria's Secret fashion shows. It had been one of the easiest decisions in Beca's life so far as she got to be on the stage at the same time when the models walked on the catwalk. For the first time Beca felt like she wanted to perform with a mask similar to what Deadmau5 usually wore to hide the blush on her face as the models all came by her on their way back and kissed Beca on the cheek (or in Stacie's case on the mouth). It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Stacie hugged her petite DJ friend but this time she didn't kiss Beca on the mouth.

"Happy birthday Beca. I brought someone with me. I thought it was about time you two meet…" Stacie stepped aside to reveal the person who had been standing behind her. Beca's jaw dropped open as she recognized the blonde woman with dark eye make-up and a distinct style. Ke$ha.

Beca's lips quickly turned into a smile as the singer leaned forward as she hugged Beca and wished her a happy birthday. Beca's tipsy mind told her to act it cool and for once Beca managed to do just that.

She then welcomed her newest guests as they raised a glass for the birthday girl. Beca couldn't stop herself from complimenting on how good the singer looked tonight as they made their way inside the house. That led them to a conversation about Ke$ha's new personal trainer who was to be thanked for the singer's current state of fitness. It seemed that they hit it off right from the start.

Beca downed some more drinks as the party went on and her alcohol blurred mind told her this must've been the best housewarming party ever organized in the whole wide world.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here it is. :) Reviews welcome.**

Chapter 3.

Chloe tried waking up the sleeping woman again and this time she succeeded. Beca stirred as she felt someone shaking her lightly. She slowly opened her eyes only to be facing the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. And a there was a smell of the most _enticing_ perfume… Beca didn't remember seeing her last night. And she would've definitely remembered the fiery red hair, ripped abs and those toned legs. As Beca took in the rest realization suddenly struck her. _Chloe Beale. Exercise plan. 2 pm Friday._ _Oh shit! _

Beca sat up so quickly that she painfully bumped heads with Chloe who was still bent over her. The redhead held her forehead as she moaned in pain. She stood up and took a step away from the sofa bed.

"Sorry about that. You caught me by surprise that's all." Beca croaked massaging her forehead lightly. As if she didn't have bad enough headache even before the head bump.

"Well we did agree to meet today miss Mitchell." Chloe frowned as her head still hurt from the contact.

"Can you please drop that miss Mitchell thing? It makes me feel old beyond my 21 years. _(Well there was the answer to that question Chloe thought.) _Just call me Beca."

"All right, _Beca. _I'm sorry I barged onto your patio like this but no one answered the door so I thought you might be back here. Then I saw you lying here and just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Never been better", Beca offered quite weakly and cringed at the Sun shining right into her eyes.

Chloe thought better of commenting on the empty glasses and asking why the DJ had slept on the patio. When she looked at the woman in front of her who must've had a long night she suddenly felt sympathetic for the star's frail state. It seemed that bringing the yoga mat didn't serve any purpose today. Chloe didn't drink that often but when she did she usually suffered from bad hangovers. Chloe took out her water bottle from her bag and offered it to the DJ.

"Here, have some of this. You'll feel better."

Beca looked at the bottle and couldn't help asking:

"What's in it?"

Chloe grinned at the suspicion. Beca just frowned at her.

"Just water Beca. The bottle is brand new by the way. I haven't drunk out of it before."

Chloe thought she should play it safe as you never knew how germophobic people could be. Especially when it came to celebrities it seemed that there were many germophobes around.

Beca took the bottle and smirked.

"I'm no Howie Mandel you know. I asked because the last time I took a drink without knowing exactly what was in it I woke up the next morning in Venice Beach with nothing but a poncho on. Must've been some night." Beca remarked and took a sip of the water.

_Must've been some night last night by the looks of this patio, _Chloe thought as she glanced sideways from where she was standing. She restrained herself from commenting on the matter and chose a safer route instead.

"Well I can assure you I have no intention making you live through that again. Besides why would I drug a person I'm just _dying_ to work with?" Chloe asked with a wink.

Chloe knew that little flirting went a long away in her line of work. She thought she was pretty good at drawing the line between being professional with a bit of twinkle in her eye and being inappropriate. After all personal training was _personal _and Chloe was a naturally flirty person so why not if it helped her to build more relaxed relationships with her clients? She knew where to draw the line.

Or so she thought. Chloe was about to find out who she was dealing with. Beca Mitchell was an expert in flirting (at least in her own head). She could make women eat out of her palm with her timely comments and charm. From the moment Aubrey had given Chloe's business card Beca had felt the appeal. The phone call and meeting Chloe had just confirmed that Beca already felt attracted to the beautiful redhead. Chloe Beale was going to be in big trouble as Beca had already set her eyes on her. And the people Beca set her eyes on, she usually ended up getting.

Beca Mitchell smiled almost a devilish smile as she suggested they'd move inside to discuss the details of their co-operation.

Chloe started by interviewing Beca about her exercise habits and made some notes about Beca's past experiences with sports. She had suspected that Beca didn't do much cardio or gym but she had thought that the DJ had to do something to stay so slim.

Chloe should've known better than to comment on it though as it earned a wicked a grin from Beca who just stated coolly that it must be all the sex she was having. The response made Chloe to drop her pen on the floor as Beca just leaned back on her chair and lightly commented:

"You might still need that pen. There's so many things I haven't told you yet…"

Chloe's face was verging on the shade of her hair as she looked anywhere else but Beca who kept her poker face firmly in place and thoroughly enjoyed watching Chloe blush so furiously.

Chloe inhaled deeply as she bent to grab the pen and tried to get herself together. Sex, without a doubt, could be classified as one form cardiovascular exercise but Beca had still managed to catch her totally off guard. Chloe knew she shouldn't be blushing like a school girl especially in front of Beca Mitchell but she couldn't really help her reaction.

Chloe wasn't sure if she would stand a chance to return the punches the DJ was throwing her way. The star had a great timing and she surely wasn't going to make this easy for Chloe. Beca Mitchell seemed to have a poker face that would be hard to match and after the first period Beca was definitely in the lead. Chloe shook her head. Too many sports metaphors in one line of thought - even for her.

They also discussed the goals of their co-operation. The DJ was so skinny to start with that they would concentrate on shaping rather than toning her body. Chloe assured Beca she wasn't planning on turning her into a bodybuilder. They would start from the 'bottom of the pyramid' so to speak to build her endurance by concentrating on cardiovascular exercise.

This earned her a snotty remark from Beca:

"Why cardio?"

Chloe certainly had her work cut out for her. She calmly explained that cardiovascular exercise was like the foundation of a house. You had to build it first in order to carry on building on top of it. If the foundation wasn't good enough the building process that followed wouldn't go far either. And even if they weren't trying to make Beca a long distance runner either, she needed to have a certain cardio base in order to achieve their goals and without just mentioning staying healthier and feeling better.

Beca just silently agreed this time so they moved on to discuss the financial side of the contract.

"The prices for my services are dependent on how many one-on-one sessions you would like to have and how many times a week we would meet."

_As many times as humanly possible, was Beca's instant thought._

"I've drafted a tentative offer for a one year contract for you to take a look at. That should give us enough time to achieve the goals we set and work the plan around your schedule so that exercise becomes an inseparable part of your new healthy lifestyle."

Beca rolled her eyes when she heard the words exercise and lifestyle in the same sentence.

Chloe ignored Beca's eye rolling on purpose as she focused to lay out the last details to the impatient DJ.

"The contract would include five one-on-one sessions per week to start with, assuming we can work them around your schedule. After a few months we can assess achieved results and decide how we go on from there."

While Chloe spoke she handed a sheet of paper to the brunette sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"I guess I'll be seeing you a lot then huh?" Beca inquired but didn't look too depressed over the fact. Even if it meant that she would have to _start_ _exercising five times a week_. That was a lot considering she was starting from zero. Chloe just nodded and smiled.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but I can assure you it will all be worth it in the end."

"Oh I'm sure it will be." Beca smirked lowering her voice just a bit to get her point across. Chloe felt goosebumps on her skin. What was she getting herself into…

The brunette now turned her attention to the indicated prices and frowned after a while.

Chloe felt her heartbeat pick up a notch as she tried to read the DJ's face. Did she think the prices were too high? Chloe had made an increase after working with some more high profile clients such as Emily VanCamp and Emilia Clarke that she was now able to use as references. Besides, Beca Mitchell was surely her most challenging client to date when it came to her starting level. Chloe had to ask for a reasonable remuneration for credibility reasons alone. Her thoughts were interrupted by Beca's voice.

"Are you sure about these prices? They just don't seem right…" Beca muttered as she glanced at Chloe before returning her eyes to the paper in her hand.

Chloe felt a slight panic creep over her as she stared at the DJ who still frowned at the numbers in front of her.

"I can assure you that even though I'm still a new in the business the people I've already worked with have achieved their goals in the agreed timeframe. Considering the circumstances of this case it's–"

Chloe was interrupted as Beca lifted a finger to signal the redhead to wait as she made a phone call. Chloe felt a bit disappointed. Had Beca been listening at all what she had to say?

Beca was now looking at the scenery waiting for her call to be picked up. Chloe sat there her head bent slightly and thought what the hell just went wrong here. When she heard Beca speak again her head shot up.

"Hi Ke$ha, it's Beca calling. How are you girl? Hung over much?"

Chloe's mouth dropped open. Beca Mitchell was calling Ke$ha? The _Ke$ha? _But why?

"I'm feeling good thanks. Why wouldn't I? Just woke up an hour ago." Beca glanced at Chloe who pretended she wasn't listening very closely.

"Of course I remember. How could I forget? Last night was amazing. _You're_ _amazing._" Chloe couldn't do anything but stare. Was she really supposed to hear this? She motioned to Beca that she would go and give her some privacy but Beca gave her a look that told her to stay so Chloe sat rooted in her seat pretending she didn't hear the next words.

"Ohh you're dirrrty." Beca drawled. _Oh my god _was all Chloe could think of. _Talking about staying slim._ She didn't know what to do with herself or where to look. She decided on lacing her fingers on her lap and staring down at them. Chloe hoped the blush creeping up her cheeks wasn't too obvious. Beca Mitchell sure knew how to make her squirm.

"How about you put it all in a song? Oh wait, but you did already!" Beca then laughed full-heartedly.

As if she was sensing the discomfort radiating from Chloe from the other side of the table Beca finally changed the subject.

"Listen, there's another reason why I called. You're working with that fitness guru Ashley Borden am I right?"

Chloe felt her head spin from thousand different things running through her mind at once. Ashley Borden was one of the most sought after personal trainers in Hollywood. Her clientele included Ryan Gosling, Reese Witherspoon, Christina Aguilera and Ke$ha among others. Ashley Borden was a person that people starting out in the business should look up to.

"Aha yeah. No, I'm not actually interested in working with her. I was just curious about how much does she charge you for her services?"

Chloe couldn't believe what Beca just asked. She was now being compared to the celebrity fitness guru of the past two decades? Ashley Borden was surely charging more than she was. _Right?_

Beca was now chewing her pen thoughtfully. Chloe's pen. Chloe started to think that maybe she didn't need that pen back anyway.

"Oh, really? Ok… Chloe Beale. You know her?" Beca scribbled something down in the paper Chloe had given her earlier. Chloe couldn't see what it was because Beca's hand was in the way. Chloe didn't know Ke$ha. Not to the same extent as Beca Mitchell seemed to at least. Beca sent a wicked grin to Chloe's direction as she ended the call.

"I'll be sure tell her. Talk to you later girl."

Chloe felt like she had to say something so she tried casually:

"So that was Ke$ha?"

"Yeah, she says hello. Apparently you were the only reason she watched the last Winter Olympics. She said you deserved to win."

Now Chloe's head was really spinning. Good thing she was sitting down. _Ke$ha _of all peoplehad watched her skating and thought she was mistreated. Wow. She could've never called this one.

"Anyway after talking to Ke$ha she confirmed what I suspected. So here's my counter offer."

Chloe took the paper Beca handed her and glanced at the numbers. Her eyes went wide and she looked at Beca again. Beca had just more than doubled her salary. That was one generous offer!

Beca just smirked at Chloe's amazement. God that woman looked so innocently cute when she was surprised.

"If you're as good as I've been told you should be paid according to it. You shouldn't go whoring around in Hollywood. There are enough people who do that already. As you can see I'm ready to double your salary if we achieve all the goals we set at the end of our contract. So if you accept, we've got a deal. Now, when do we start?"

Chloe was so overwhelmed about securing the biggest contract of her short personal trainer career and how much faith the DJ had invested in her that she totally passed the comment the DJ had made about whoring around in Hollywood. Chloe Beale would make sure Beca Mitchell would feel and look shit hot after she was done with her.

Chloe was able to just nod at first but seeing the DJ's raised eyebrow she realized the start expected an answer to her earlier question.

"I accept. How is next week for you?"

"I can work around it. Monday morning I'm meeting Aubrey for some nutrition advice so how about right after?"

"Okay then, Monday at 10 it is." Beca rose from her chair and so did Chloe as she sensed that the meeting was over.

Chloe felt mostly relief. As Beca had said they would be seeing each other a lot in the future. There was plenty of time to pick up where they left off although Chloe wasn't sure where that was exactly.

"Oh here's your pen by the way", Beca offered as she handed the object to Chloe.

"You can just keep it. I have lots of them at home. For business reasons you know."

Chloe facepalmed herself mentally. What was she saying? Of course they were for business. What else could they be for? As she looked at Beca she could already see from the DJ's smile that the brunette had already thought of other uses. Chloe didn't want to know.

"_Sure. _I'll be sure to keep this one. For business reasons you know," Beca grinned widely as she toyed with the pen in her hand. She then remembered that she was about to end their meeting a few minutes ago. Beca blamed Chloe silently in her head for making her unfocused.

"I hate to rush this but since we got off to a slow start today I really have to be somewhere soon…" Beca apologized as they started to move through the house to the front door. It was a short walk and they were already at the front door when Chloe mustered a response.

"It's okay Beca. You're not really accountable for me…yet _(There was that wink again that Beca already liked.)_ I'm grateful that you had the time to meet with me today. But as they say, booty calls. I meant _duty_! Duty calls! See you on Monday!"

Chloe didn't stay to see the reaction on Beca's face. She escaped through the open front door at lightning speed and kicked it close with her foot. Then she leaned her back heavily on the door and closed her eyes, still mortified of what just happened.

_OMG Beale, what's wrong with you?! Way to keep it professional there! _Chloe thought, still terrified of how Beca would react. Was this really the time for a Freudian slip like that?

Chloe sighed heavily as she shook her head and then she practically ran to her car.

Inside Beca stood in the exact same position she had stood when Chloe had stormed out of the house.

She was staring nowhere and her mouth was open. She was only able to close it when she heard a car drive away. Beca shook her head to regain herself from that nearly out of body experience that just occurred a few minutes ago. What just happened? Beca was felt a bit worried how easily the ginger was able to get under her skin. She pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket and quickly texted Amy:

'_Red stands for danger. I repeat. DANGER. Evacuate immediately.'_

Only a few seconds later she got a response.

'_Negative. Take her down slowly. No force necessary.'_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I managed to write two chapters so...double trouble. Here's the first of the two. :)**

Chapter 4.

Aubrey turned to look at the front door from the kitchen table she was sitting at when she heard Chloe come into their apartment.

"Did the meeting go okay?" Aubrey enquired as she waited for Chloe to enter the kitchen.

"Not exactly according to the book."

The ginger sat across from Aubrey and looked like she was about to cry or laugh. Aubrey wasn't sure.

"What happened? Did you agree on everything?"

Chloe let out a sound that was something between a whimper and a laugh. She looked at Aubrey as she crossed her hands and leaned her chin on them.

"I feel terrible. I don't know if I can meet her again next week." She buried her face in her hands. Now Aubrey started to get worried.

"Okay Beale, time to spill it. Start from the beginning."

"I can't! It's too embarrassing. I'll just give you the most important bits." Chloe pleaded Aubrey with her eyes.

"Okay fine. Go!"

"Well apparently Beca Mitchell had a big party last night where she by the way slept with Ke$ha. Yep, that Ke$ha and that was why she was late for our meeting. I'm sorry, not because of sleeping with Ke$ha but because she was so hung over. Then she told me the only cardiovascular exercise she does is sex (a lot of it). We agreed to meet on Monday after your meeting with her since she's a busy woman. That's when I said booty calls when I meant duty calls and then I just ran out, got into my car and drove away as fast I could."

Chloe rattled through her story and when she finished she sighed heavily and buried her head in her hands again.

Aubrey could only shake her head a couple of times before bursting out in laughter.

"You think saying it really fast makes it any better?"

"Shut up! I just needed to get it off my chest. Now you can judge me all you want."

"I'm not going to judge you. Well maybe just a little. But you made a deal? And you're seeing her again next week."

"Yes we made a deal! But only if she won't cancel the whole thing because her to-be-personal trainer has such a big mouth. Can you imagine how uncomfortable this will be for all of us? You're her nutrition coach so you're in this mess as well!"

"Oh don't you dare try to pull me down with you Beale. I have no part in this. Unlike you I was able to keep it professional from the start." Chloe could tell Aubrey was half-joking about the last part as her friend started laughing again.

"But judging on your story it doesn't sound like she would be the one to call this thing off. It sounds like she's rather enjoying herself making you uncomfortable."

Chloe nodded. That was something they could agree on.

"Somehow this is so typical Chloe Beale behavior. You're such a flirt! You just drive yourself into situations like this over and over again. This time it seems you've got yourself a worthy opponent."

Chloe just sighed as she looked at Aubrey.

"I guess I just need to focus on the essential stuff which is training her. I'm sure it won't be as bad when she's working her ass off exercising. She will be too out of breath to make any comments. She probably won't even like me anymore after the first week. She won't be able to walk properly for couple of days."

Aubrey nodded thoughtfully.

"Sounds like a plan. Although it would mean that you had to be someone else than Chloe Beale. Flirting comes so naturally for you that you might not even notice you're doing it. Other people around you do however."

"Was it my natural charming self that made you to fall in my arms that one night?" Chloe asked innocently and ducked for cover when Aubrey threw an apple at her. When she was sure there were no more flying objects directed at her she emerged under the table only see her friend smiling somewhat uncomfortably.

"It was that combined with way too many tequila shots. Aren't you ever going to let that drunken incident die down?

Chloe just grinned at the memory of the night they had spent together. Both of them had been shitfaced but Chloe didn't regret sleeping with her best friend. The bits and pieces she was able to remember in the morning left her under the impression that they'd had fun.

"I will take it to my grave I swear. But how could I not keep reminding you about something that evokes such a reaction out of you? It's just too much fun to watch."

Aubrey shook her head and blew air out of her nose.

"I guess I brought this on myself… Just keep it to a minimum when there are other people around."

"Not a word." Chloe assured her best friend and gave her a wink. Aubrey just sighed.

It was at that moment when Chloe's phone made a noise and she grabbed it from the table. The screen read:

_Beca Mitchell is now following you on Twitter. _

Chloe then tapped the screen to start following Beca. It was time to start building their relationship.

Beca stepped inside the restaurant to find her three friends motioning to her from the table they were seated. Beca waved at Amy, Jesse and Stacie and made her way over. They had agreed to meet for a Sunday brunch as they hadn't seen each other after Thursday's housewarming party.

"Hey there shorty", Amy greeted as Beca sat next to her. Beca smiled at the nick name the Tasmanian had picked for her and greeted Jesse and Stacie on the other side of the table. After catching up on the events on Thursday night they moved to discuss Beca's Friday meeting with Chloe.

Beca had already talked to Amy about what happened but now she also filled in Stacie and Jesse with the story. She didn't leave anything out as she told them how much she'd enjoyed the meeting. She ended up by saying that she was really excited for Monday but wasn't looking forward to the exercise bit.

"Which is the only reason you're meeting her." Jesse reminded the DJ.

"I know I committed to this whole changing my life thing but it doesn't mean I can't have some fun doing it." Beca laughed.

"Yeah I flirt with my personal trainer all the time", Stacie stated but as she received knowing looks from the others she stated incredulously:

"What? I'm not sleeping with him!"

"Somehow that's pretty hard to believe coming from you honey," Beca smiled.

"It's not like I didn't want to. It's just his high moral holding us back."

"And what is that exactly?" Jesse asked curiously.

"He says there's this whole ethics code about personal trainer and client relationships. It's unprofessional and unethical to engage in sexual relationship with your client. Trainers who do that give their profession a bad name. "

"You should probably tell him he's about 15 years too late. Madonna's personal trainer did some serious damage to their name already back in the day", Fat Amy huffed as she went through the menu.

None of them could argue against that.

"And from the sound of it the ginger might fall in the same pit", the Aussie added hopefully.

Beca just shrugged.

"I don't know about that Amy. Maybe she was just being flirty in a friendly kind of way. I'm certainly having a lot of fun teasing her but I think that's all – at least for her."

"Yeah yeah that's like saying you've never slept with Ke$ha. We all know better. Just give it some time and she'll come around eventually. There are only so many people who are able to resist you when you give them that smirk of yours. For which I'm totally immune to by the way so don't try it on me."

That made Beca blush. Luckily there weren't too many people in the restaurant at the moment.

"The thing with Ke$ha was just casual. I'm sure we'll be friends though." Beca stated quietly as she glanced at Stacie. The tall brunette just shrugged.

"You both got what you wanted from that night. Everyone walks away happy."

Jesse just shook his head as he laughed:

"So you just brought her to the party so that she could do Beca?"

"You make her sound like a hooker. I just thought they might enjoy meeting each other. And the truth is that I couldn't really think of a housewarming gift for Beca so... Besides they're friends now. Everything worked out just fine," Stacie ended as she gave Jesse a wink.

"Okay, time to change the subject guys", Beca then insisted as the blush crept back on her cheeks.

"So do you think this Chloe might be the kind of girl to stick around with then?" Jesse asked and received a thoughtful look from Beca.

"I'm definitely attracted to her. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I've only met her once. Who knows what kind of monster she turns into when we start training?"

"It might the kind of monster that after training with her you just wish you could go horizontal running with me", Amy added making everyone in the table laugh.

Their laughter was interrupted as Beca's phone made a noise signaling her there was a new email. Beca grabbed her phone to see that the email was from Chloe.

"Speaking of the devil", she grinned as she read through the short message and chuckled as she read the message out loud to her friends:

_Hi Beca,_

_Hope you're having a good weekend._

_As we're starting training tomorrow there are a few things to consider before our first session._

_Make sure you drink a lot of water before the session and bring your water bottle to the session. Also make sure you eat something before the training. (I guess Aubrey's taking care of that on Monday) but just as a general guideline before our training._

_Getting a good night's sleep and refraining from consuming alcohol the night before is highly recommended to get the best out of training. _

_Please wear form-fitting sports clothing for the session._

_See you soon. Time to make it count!_

_Chloe_

"Why does she wants me to wear 'form-fitting' clothing? Stacie?"

The model just shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't wear anything else than form-fitting clothing so my trainer never had to ask."

"Good point. Amy, Jesse, any theories?"

Jesse stated he had no idea but Amy suggested:

"Maybe she wants to take a really good luck at you. See what she's working with, you know."

"Well, I'll find out in 24 hours. That is if I don't get a heart attack exercising before there's a chance to ask."

Her friends looked sympathetic as Beca thought about what the redhead had in store for their first session.

On Monday morning Beca dressed in her rarely used sports tights and top and pulled her hair up into a bun. She didn't bother with too much make-up as she had a feeling she would sweat it off anyway.

The doorbell rang at 9am sharp to signal that Aubrey had arrived and Beca went to let her in.

The blonde was dressed in a fuchsia dress and looked as radiating and brisk as ever. She must've been one of those morning persons Beca thought as the blonde followed her into the kitchen.

Aubrey went through Beca's fridge and expressed her contentment about seeing so many fresh ingredients there.

"The fridge has been empty for weeks because I don't eat breakfast and I always go out for lunch and dinner. I just got what you had instructed," Beca remarked not wanting to give the blonde any false impressions.

"The most important thing is that you got them. And when it comes to breakfast that will become a part of your mornings from now on. It's the most important meal of the day that you simply can't skip." Aubrey ordered as she got different fruits out of the fridge.

"I suppose you don't have a blender here do you?"

Beca couldn't help chuckling as she pointed to the unopened package further down on the kitchen counter.

Aubrey shook her head barely noticeably as she unpacked the brand new appliance.

"I told you I didn't use this kitchen much." Beca shrugged and took a seat on one of the bar stools in the kitchen.

Aubrey kept her voice calm as she stated:

"Well, that's about to change too."

With Beca's instruction Aubrey pulled out some cutting boards and knives from the drawers. When she had all she needed for making breakfast Aubrey turned to Beca who was still sitting on the stool watching her.

"I'm not going to be here to do this for you every morning so I suggest you come here and learn to do it yourself from the start." There was a tone of authority in Aubrey's voice that made Beca slowly rise from her stool and walk over to the blonde. Aubrey showed her how to cut the fruit into smaller pieces to put them in the blender. They spent the next minutes cutting the fruit without further conversation before Beca decided to break the silence.

"So how do you know Chloe?"

Aubrey glanced at her client.

"Why do ask?"

Beca just shrugged.

"Because you told she was a good friend of yours and the 'hottest name in the business'. True dat. I just thought there has to be some back story for that claim."

Aubrey felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks. She couldn't understand why though. Surely Beca couldn't know about _that thing _but something in the DJ's voice made her think back to what she had said about her friend when she'd recommended her to Beca.

"Well I just happen to know Chloe pretty well."_That didn't sound too suggestive did it, Aubrey wondered._

"Aha, I was able to gather that much from the blush on your cheeks." Beca stated casually as her eyes never left the fruit she was cutting.

Aubrey just smiled incredulously as she turned to look at the shorter woman next to her. She suddenly understood what Chloe had meant when she'd said the DJ had a talent of making her feel uncomfortable with her comments.

"It's not what you think. We're just friends. I've known Chloe since high school."

"Sure. Whatever you say," Beca smiled as she put the fruits in the blender. Aubrey could tell from Beca's voice that she wasn't convinced or at least chose act like that. Aubrey however knew better than to comment on it as it would only make it look like there was more to the story than she was telling.

They finished cutting the fruit and let the blender do the rest. After a few moments Aubrey offered Beca a glass with really yucky looking green contents and raised her own glass while meeting the DJ's eyes.

"To new life." Aubrey stated as she clinked her glass with Beca's.

"And to old friends," Beca smirked as she took a gulp from her glass. She was prepared for something disgusting but was surprised of the fresh taste that certainly was better than what the drink looked like.

"Surprised?" Aubrey asked as she saw the DJ's expression.

"It's not half bad," Beca confessed as she drank the rest.

"Not all healthy things taste bad", Aubrey remarked as she finished her drink as well. Beca rolled her eyes. Aubrey then glanced at her watch and exclaimed:

"Look at the time! I should meet my next client in half an hour. And Chloe should be here any minute now."

Beca couldn't help asking:

"Don't you wanna stay and say hello to your good friend Chloe?"

Aubrey smiled as she shook her head and gathered her things.

"No, I see her everyday anyway. That's the great thing about being r- roommates. " Aubrey couldn't believe what she had just said. She started to resemble Chloe, blurting out things she shouldn't. Not good. There wasn't anything wrong in telling they were roommates per se but when the person she was telling it to was Beca Mitchell it made a difference. Aubrey hadn't meant to give the witty DJ any more ammunition than she already had but there was nothing she could so about it now.

She bade her goodbyes to the grinning DJ as she made her way out of Beca's house. Chloe wasn't there yet so Aubrey texted her friend:

_Good luck out there. Sorry._

She then hopped into her car and drove away from the DJ's house.

Chloe was just driving up the road leading to Beca's house when she saw Aubrey's white Audi come down the road. Chloe waved happily at the blonde as they passed each other. Aubrey answered with a tight smile and waved back.

When Chloe got to Beca's house she checked her phone before exiting her car. There was a weird message from Aubrey. _Good luck out there_ probably meant good luck with Beca but what was the _sorry_ for?

Chloe's thoughts were interrupted as a knock on her window made her jump in her seat. She looked outside only to see the grinning Beca Mitchell leaning on the side of her car and yelling so that Chloe could hear:

"Nice ride! Are you just going to sit there all day? I thought we had some work to do!"

Chloe smiled at the DJ as she put her phone in her bag and got out of the car. Time to make it count.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: And here's chapter 5. Some more Bechloe action. It's not exactly fluff but there are definitely some sparks. ;) **

Chapter 5.

"Good morning Beca. Did you have a good time with Aubrey?" Chloe greeted as she got out of the car and took in the DJ in her form fitting sports clothing. Beca looked good today. It seemed that she had listened to Chloe's advice on how to prepare for their session. Chloe also liked how the DJ looked without the dark eye make-up she usually wore. This was a different, more natural Beca.

"Oh it was _so_ much fun." Chloe felt a bit alert as she saw the DJ grin so widely. That didn't sound too good.

"_Okay. _I'm glad to hear. Soyou ready to go?"

"Ready as ever." WINK. That earned a bright smile from Chloe.

"Okay great. I see you've got your water bottle. I can take that for you. Shall we?"

Chloe signaled towards the gates that lead to the road leading down from Beca's house. The DJ looked surprised.

"Are we walking?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. We're not going too far." Chloe started towards the gates and Beca slowly followed. She was actually pretty curious. No one walked in Los Angeles unless they were on the beach or shopping on Sunset Boulevard.

Beca admired Chloe's form from behind as the redhead kept walking in front of her. Chloe seemed so perfectly proportioned. Her legs were long but they were in perfect balance with her torso and shoulders. She clearly had a waist, everyone could see that much. Beca's eyes settled on Chloe's nicely shaped backside. Those running tights really made her justice. Beca realized she'd been caught staring when she heard Chloe's voice from the front.

"Enjoying the view?" Chloe's smile was friendly. It wasn't the first time she'd caught clients staring her. It pretty much came with the job description. Her body functioned as an example of what a person could achieve with hard work and determination. She didn't usually confront her clients about it unless the staring was really disturbing. In this case it wasn't but Beca Mitchell was just special. She clearly wanted to be confronted.

Beca cleared her throat as she thought of a response.

"It's just that those tights are really working for you. Where did you get them?" _Nice comeback Mitchell, Beca thought and high fived herself mentally._

"Oh these? They're nice aren't they? They're from the new lululemon running collection. There's a store in Beverly Hills if you're interested." Chloe smiled as she placed her hands on her hips as if to indicate the quality of her tights.

"Mhmm," Beca smiled as she dialed the code to close the gate behind them.

They started walking down the road side by side so all Beca could do now was to steal glances at the redhead walking next to her. Once or twice she could've sworn that the redhead was doing the same.

"So Aubrey tells me you two are roommates," Beca then stated casually as they kept walking.

Chloe smiled.

"Yeah we share an apartment. She helped me to get started when I was moving here. I couldn't afford a decent place to live so we made the arrangement.

"But surely you could already afford your own place by now? You're still roommates. It just sounds like there's more to the story," Beca pressed. She wanted to know why the blonde doctor had blushed earlier.

"How about we focus on something else than my personal life? But if you must know we're friends. Good friends. But that's it."

Beca knew she was testing waters but she just _had to_ go for it.

"That's not what Aubrey told me…She mentioned this one thing…by accident probably…"

"She did not! How could she? She was the one who…oh no. She didn't really say anything like that did she?" Chloe had fallen into the trap the DJ had set for her too easily. Aubrey was going to be so mad.

Beca couldn't stop laughing as she shook her head.

"You and tight ass Dr. Posen? Oh my God! That's just too hot to handle. Never saw that one coming. Priceless. Are you still banging her?"

"What?! No! This conversation is over. Change the topic or be subject to my rage. I mean it." Chloe could look quite menacing when she was angry but Beca just had to risk the ginger's rage to see where the limit was for her.

"I still think it's pretty hot that-" When Beca saw from the corner of her eye how Chloe moved towards her with a seriously pissed off expression on her face the DJ made a run for it.

"You're going to regret that", Chloe yelled as she started after the DJ. Beca wanted to laugh but now she was a bit terrified of what would happen if Chloe actually caught her before her rage wore down. Beca knew she was fast but she also knew she couldn't keep the extremely fit Chloe off her back for long. First it seemed that the redhead couldn't catch her. Then in one sweeping moment Beca suddenly felt Chloe's arms close around her waist as the redhead tackled her to the side of the road. Given the circumstances the landing was pretty soft. Beca found that she was lying on her back in long grass with a slightly less pissed off looking Chloe lying on top of her. She stared down at Beca with her blue eyes as she still tried to catch her breath. Their faces were only inches apart and both of them were breathing heavily. Beca was the first break the silence.

"Didn't know we were playing football today," she panted as their eyes stayed fixed on each other's. She couldn't read the redhead's expression. Chloe didn't seem angry anymore but there was something in her eyes that Beca couldn't quite grasp. Then the moment was over.

"Me neither," Chloe stated as she got up and offered her hand to Beca to help her up.

They cleaned their clothes from the loose pieces of grass.

Chloe turned to look at Beca, concerned.

"You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Beca checked her arms and legs for any cuts and when she didn't find any she just shook her head at Chloe.

"Not a scratch. It was a soft landing."

Chloe covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. She couldn't believe she had just chased her _client_ down the hill and tackled her to the ground. And that was only the second time they had met. _The first time didn't go that smoothly either, _Chloe reminded herself.

Then there was the weird feeling when she had found herself lying on top of Beca. Chloe couldn't quite explain it. It was close to the feeling of the instant pull in your stomach you got when someone pulled the chair out from underneath you when you tried to sit on it. Still not quite the same though.

Beca observed the redhead silently torment herself for a while before she turned to the DJ and offered a small smile.

"Let's continue then."

They finally reached the end (or start whichever way you chose to look at it) of the road leading up to Beca's house. Chloe stopped walking and turned to look at the direction of Beca's house that looked considerably smaller in the distance.

"Now is time for the fun part," the redhead smiled as the DJ turned to look at the direction the redhead was looking at.

"No! You've got to be kidding me! We're going to climb all the way back?"

Chloe nodded sternly.

"That's the plan. You can run, walk or crawl but you have to make it to the top. You can take a break if you pass out but otherwise you will continue until you make it to the top. I'm going to time it and we're going to do this again at the end of the year to see how much you've developed."

"You sure I can do this?" Beca couldn't help asking when she eyed the road ahead of her.

"I'm sure. It will be a challenge and you probably feel like quitting at some point but that's why I'm here to make sure you keep going. We can start whenever you're ready."

Beca blew air out of her lungs as she closed her eyes for a second. Then she turned to look at Chloe who was ready with her watch.

"Whenever you're ready."

Beca started jogging instead of running at full speed this time and felt Chloe follow her with light footsteps.

It was already after few minutes when Beca felt her head drop to her chest as she kept moving her legs.

"You're doing good. Keep going," she heard Chloe call out. Beca raised her head to look at her house in the distance. It didn't seem to come any closer.

Her legs started to feel heavier by the step. Then her hips and calves started to ache. And all the time Chloe jogged beside her with those light footsteps that barely made a sound when her feet hit the surface of road. How could anyone be so light on their steps?

"Focus Beca. We're coming to the hard part. You're halfway there now."

Beca's breathing was getting heavy. She had switched to walking a few minutes ago.

"Water," Beca panted as she forced herself to keep going. Chloe offered her water and took the bottle when Beca had had a few gulps.

Beca felt her mind starting to get blurry. But then she always heard Chloe's voice right next to her encouraging her and telling her to keep going.

When Beca felt like she could still get the words out of her mouth she panted:

"This would've been much easier if we didn't play football first."

"Don't start whining now. It was you who called the game on anyway."

This made Beca smile as she kept telling her feet to move. One step after the other.

"C'mon Beca we're almost there. Don't give up now!" Chloe urged her as they started nearing the house. Chloe glanced at the DJ who was struggling. Chloe knew it was her job to push her client to the limit but she wondered now if she had gone too far.

The next thing she knew Beca was now on all fours crawling up the last and steepest part of the hill. They were only 60 feet away from Beca's house.

Beca felt like her heart was trying to burst out of her chest. She could see the gate. It was getting closer and closer. With the last push of her strength she reached for the gate and felt the hot metal brush with her fingers. Beca dropped to the ground and closed her eyes. She felt Chloe bending over her and she smelled the same perfume again. Her lips curled into a smile as she felt Chloe pat her on the shoulder and whisper:

"You did it Beca. You did good."

First it felt like her heart was never going to slow down but little by little her breathing evened out and finally she was able to sit up. Chloe was sitting next to her, smiling at her.

"Your time was 25.64. I guarantee you that if you work as hard as you worked today and follow the routine I give you, you will be able to do it in less than 15 minutes. Now, are you ready for the next part of our session?"

Beca turned sharply to look at Chloe to see if her trainer was kidding this time. She wasn't. Beca couldn't help exclaiming:

"Even Jillian Michaels wouldn't ask her Biggest Losers to go through another exercise after _that!"_

Chloe stood up and looked down at Beca with stern eyes.

"I'm pretty sure she would since I happen to know Jillian. And she wouldn't ask you nicely like I am doing now. She would drag you up on your feet and tell you to 'get your shit together Mitchell'!" Chloe did a good impression of the famous fitness trainer as she pulled Beca on her feet.

The DJ was surprised that she didn't feel too dizzy as she followed Chloe back to the house.

They went to the patio where Chloe had brought her yoga mat. She told the DJ that as the last part of their session Beca was required to do 50 sit ups, 50 back crunches and 50 pushups and then they would be done.

It didn't sound too much but when she started doing the exercises Beca thought otherwise. For someone who hadn't done sit ups or pushups since high school it was definitely a challenge. Chloe told her that she could do the exercises in smaller parts if she couldn't do 50 at once. Beca could see that Chloe had a dry sense of humor.

She started with the pushups. Chloe told her that she could do the 3/4 ones knees on the floor but that she had to come all the way down to touch Chloe's fist that her trainer used as a marker to check that Beca went low enough. First couple of times Beca felt herself blush when her chest brushed Chloe's closed fist but she soon forgot it as her arms started to burn. Beca managed 8 before she had to take a break.

The back crunches were the easiest for her as she was only required to lift her upper body from the floor. She was however nowhere near to complete the crunches in one go. As Beca worked Chloe sat on a chair this time using her leg as the point Beca needed to touch with her back.

Doing sit ups was something Beca remembered being good at in high school but when she started doing them she noticed that high school had been years ago. Also the fact that Chloe was kneeled beside her while guiding her through the exercise didn't help her concentration. The redhead was so close that she could smell her perfume all the time. It was driving Beca insane but didn't know how to ask Chloe about it without sounding like a total creep.

After what seemed like a long time Beca was finally done with the exercises and now lay on her side panting. She felt like all the muscles in her body were already hurting and she couldn't imagine the feeling next morning. She was supposed to have another session with Chloe tomorrow but how could she if she couldn't move?

She looked at Chloe as she heard the redhead clear her throat.

"We're done for the day Beca. Now if you roll off my mat I'll let myself out. You do remember that we're meeting tomorrow, don't you?"

"But what if I can't move?" Beca muttered as she slowly rolled off the mat on her back.

Chloe took the mat and rolled it before answering.

"That's not an option. I'll pull you out of bed myself if I have to."

"I wouldn't mind you do that," Beca offered casually as she stretched her limbs.

Then she remembered she wanted to ask the redhead about something.

"Why did you want me to wear form fitting clothing?

Chloe looked like Beca was asking something that should've been plain obvious.

"I need to see the angles of your body when you're doing the exercises. If you wear really baggy clothing I can't necessarily see if your back is positioned wrong for example. What did you think?"

Then Chloe realized once again who she was talking to and took her last question back.

"Actually never mind. I'm not sure if I want to know. I'll see you tomorrow Beca." The redhead started already walking away but as if she suddenly remembered something she turned to look at the DJ who was now sitting up.

"Eat something tonight will you? It will make it less painful tomorrow. Something else than Taco Bell that is. Bye Beca." Chloe turned and left the patio. The DJ sat there watching Chloe walk away and found herself smiling a tired but a happy smile. Chloe had definitely managed to get the most out her today.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Keep them coming. ;) I really wanted to finish this chapter since I'm leaving for a holiday today. So there will be no updates for a week or so. Just so you know I'm not abandoning this story! It just got started. So many ideas…can't wait to write it all up. I think I want to explore Beca's back story a little more in the future as now it has been mostly about Chloe. I don't want to keep repeating myself either by just writing about the (heated) training sessions as much fun as they are to write. When it comes to the relationship of the two…well, if neither of them realize there's anything more to the teasing and flirting... They will be going at it for a while thinking that they're just playing around and making the other person feel as uncomfortable as possible while doing it. And that's what chapter 6 is all about. ;)**

Chapter 6.

When Beca woke up the next morning she was surprised to not feel any pain in her muscles. That was of course before she tried to move. She felt like just turning from her back to her side was a monumental effort. Beca felt like her whole body all the way from her shoulders to her toes was screaming in protest every time she tried to move an inch. She reached for her phone and swore out loud. Beca finally reached the phone and checked the time.

9.05.

Chloe would be here in two hours. Beca would've liked nothing more than the redhead to pull her out of bed but she realized that Chloe wouldn't get in through the front door because she didn't have the code. Beca toyed with the idea of sending her the code and telling her she couldn't move but eventually she decided against it. Chloe wasn't going to be here for two hours anyway and it would be too over the top even for her to stay in bed all that time to wait for Chloe to come and rescue her.

But then again there was a valid reason why Beca should call Chloe for help since just sitting up on her bed made her wince in pain. Beca took a deep breath and tried to lift herself up from the bed. She managed to stand okay but when she started walking her legs felt like lead. Beca couldn't help laughing when she saw her reflection on the bedroom mirror. She was walking like an old person. Her legs and back were bent as she couldn't straighten them properly. It looked like she had the weight of 80 years on her back. Even getting dressed was a challenge because it included bending her legs and arms. She managed – eventually.

Beca dragged herself to the kitchen and helped herself to some breakfast. She was glad she still had some smoothie left from yesterday. After she was done Beca grabbed her phone and water bottle and slouched on the patio. She tried to sit down on one of the sun chairs but soon realized her legs wouldn't give in because of the pain. Beca had to help herself sit down by supporting her body weight with her hands on the chair and finally she managed to sit down. She switched into lying on her back and winced as she had to lift her legs to the bottom part of the chair. Then she texted Chloe.

_Managed to move myself to the patio. Not moving before you here so just come to the patio. I hate you for crippling me._

Chloe responded a few seconds later.

_No pain no gain! I could come a bit earlier if you'd like? Let's say in half an hour?_

_That doesn't mean we're going to have a longer session does it? Because I'm not sure if I'll even survive the 90 minutes._

_Nope, we'll stick to the plan and see you through it…Whatever it takes…See you in a bit!_

Beca dropped her phone on the chair next to her and closed her eyes. Chloe would probably have to pull her up from that chair if she wanted her to do any exercises today. Beca closed her eyes and waited.

Beca slowly opened her eyes as she heard footsteps on the patio. She opened her eyes and saw Chloe walk towards her. She was dressed in pink top, black shorts, and flip flops. Beca let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that they wouldn't go running today. Chloe smiled at the DJ who was still lying down and removed her sun glasses.

"If I didn't know better I would say you're having the worst hangover of the century. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't move before I came. Bad DOMS?"

"Good thing you know better…A bad what?" Beca groaned and frowned at Chloe.

"Delayed onset muscle soreness, occurs as pain and stiffness in muscles after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise," Chloe stated as she placed the object she'd been carrying on the ground.

"Fits the bill," Beca muttered as she looked at the strange object Chloe had brought. It was a blue piece of foam shaped like a belt with buckles on both ends?

Chloe saw Beca's questioning expression so she explained.

"That's an aqua jogging belt. You put it around your waist before you go into the water, buckle up and you're ready to go. Great way to do light exercise on a day like this when DOMS is getting the better of you. Researchers still debate whether light exercise or stretching is the best way to recover from DOMS but I prefer the combination of those so that's what we're doing today."

Beca still looked dubious. She remembered now seeing the blue belts before.

"Isn't that like an exercise method for really old people?"

Chloe smiled at Beca's suspicion.

"Well it's certainly popular among senior citizens but it's also used by athletes who are coming back after an injury or people who want to lose weight."

"And to which group do I belong?" Beca smirked and squinted. It was a bright day. She wished she'd brought her sunglasses to the patio.

Chloe took her time answering the question as she eyed the DJ up and down, pondering. Beca felt a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"Well, judging by how you flinch every time you but move a muscle I would say you would be in the senior citizen group at the moment."

"I definitely feel like 80 today," Beca remarked and made Chloe giggle.

"Then it's only fitting we're doing aqua jogging."

"But there is only one belt. Aren't you going to come with me?" Beca then smiled pleadingly at Chloe who shook her head.

"Not today. It's easier to guide you from up here than being in the water and trying to show you what to do. It's also less distraction when someone's not splashing next to you."

Beca felt a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get to see Chloe in a bikini but maybe there would be a chance for that later. Beca knew a few sports they could try…like surfing…or beach volley…or…

"So are you able to get up from that chair or do you need assistance? We can start the session when you've changed into your bikini."

"What if I don't have a bikini? It's my pool anyway. No one's here to see me when I go skinny dipping." Beca stated as she winked at Chloe. The redhead could only shake her head not knowing what to do with the star. She really hoped Beca was kidding.

"Well you're not going to go naked today," Chloe stated sternly.

"Why, would it make you uncomfortable? Would you feel… distracted?" Beca dragged flirtatiously as she sat up slowly and winced internally at the pain.

_Yes. It would be distracting for various reasons. First, I'm not used to naked clients. Second, you make me uncomfortable enough already without adding nakedness into it, _Chloe thought but she ended up with_:_

"Can you just please go and put some swimwear on?" That was accompanied with a pleading look at the DJ. Beca felt like she had teased the redhead enough for now so she reached her arms towards Chloe so that she would pull her up from the chair.

Beca moaned in pain as Chloe pulled her up on her feet.

"That bad huh?" The redhead asked sympathetically as she saw Beca's expression. Beca just nodded as she slowly started walking towards the house.

"I might need some help getting dressed!" Beca called over her shoulder.

She could hear Chloe sigh and shout "Just get back here when you're ready!" so she kept walking.

Chloe took a seat on the chair the DJ had abandoned and closed her eyes. Beca really knew how to push her buttons. Chloe knew she shouldn't lose her temper again in the way she had yesterday. She wouldn't let herself to be provoked to go after the DJ again. She had gone too far. She was lucky the DJ didn't get hurt because of their "football match". When Beca came out of the house she would keep it professional, Chloe promised herself. Totally professional.

After a moment Chloe heard footsteps and turned to look back in her chair. Beca was walking towards her and was now dressed in a navy blue bikini. The smaller woman definitely had a nice body. The bikini looked good on her. _P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N-A-L!_ Chloe snapped out of her thoughts as Beca stopped next to her and performed a comical military salute.

"Reporting for duty, ma'am."

_Always the comic. _Chloe grabbed the aqua belt and handed it to Beca but instead of taking the belt from Chloe's hands Beca lifted her arms up (as much as it hurt) to signal Chloe to buckle the belt for her.

"You sure you can't do this yourself?" Chloe questioned sarcastically as she was now getting a bit frustrated by the DJ's actions. Beca was acting like a child.

Beca just shook her head as she held her arms up and bit her lip. The pain was getting worse by the second.

"I'm just getting a run for my money." She winked as Chloe stepped closer to pull the belt around Beca's waist. Chloe noted how the DJ's raised arms were starting to shake so she just smirked at Beca and took her sweet time buckling the belt, keeping her eyes focused on Beca's. _Two could play this game._

The DJ's mouth was one tight line as she stared intently at Chloe. She couldn't hold her arms up much longer. Finally when Chloe was done and stepped back Beca let out a sigh and dropped her arms down to her sides. The DJ then frowned at Chloe.

"You did that on purpose."

"Just getting a run for your money," Chloe grinned at the DJ.

"Every bit of exercise helps your case. Now, would you get in the pool for me please?"

Beca couldn't think of anything to respond so she entered the pool from the shallow end. The belt floated her when she couldn't reach the bottom anymore. Chloe had put her sunglasses on again and she started walking on the edge of the pool signaling Beca to do the same in the water. The DJ was surprised that she could move her legs quite effortlessly in the water. The pain didn't feel as overwhelming as when she was walking on solid ground. They walked from one end to the other as Chloe instructed Beca on how to move her arms and legs to mimic walking on solid ground.

The Sun had been up for hours now and it was starting to get to the hottest part of the day. Chloe felt really hot in her top and shorts even though she was just walking along. Without really thinking she rolled up her top to get her midsection some air. After a while she heard Beca clear her throat in the water. Chloe looked down to see that the DJ had stopped moving and was now looking up at Chloe.

"You think rolling up your top and exposing _that _(Beca motioned at Chloe's visible abs) is _not _going to distract me from what I'm doing? I already hit my toe against the wall because of it."

Chloe looked at the DJ, then her bare abs and pulled her top down.

"You make it sound a lot dirtier than it is."

"Hey, you were the one to pull your top up. You interviewed me so you should know what distracts me from exercise."

Chloe just frowned at her when they kept walking.

"I know what helps if you're hot. Just come to the pool with me. You could jog without a belt or clothes if you didn't bring a bikini. I'd be totally fine with that" Beca then offered as she smiled at the redhead.

"And that wouldn't distract you, would it? Thanks, but I'll pass," Chloe responded looking at the DJ behind her sunglasses. _Smart ass._

Beca just shrugged and kept going. After a while they moved onto doing some exercises in the water that Beca couldn't have possibly done outside the pool with her DOMS limiting her movements. Beca repeated the exercises after Chloe as the redhead showed her what to do while standing on the edge of the pool. Beca resisted the urge to grab one of Chloe's ankles and pull her down to the water with her as the trainer came close to the edge of the pool every time she showed Beca a new exercise.

Having already spent an hour in the pool Chloe asked Beca to come out of the pool so that they could do some stretches. Chloe asked Beca that if the DJ wished to change out of her bikini for the stretching to feel more comfortable. The DJ just brushed it off with the wave of her hand.

"I'm pretty confident – about all this," Beca stated as she gestured to her body.

"Are you sure? We're going to do some stretches that might make you feel…exposed," Chloe stated as she looked at the confident brunette.

"I'm good. Unless I make you uncomfortable…" Beca trailed off and raised an eyebrow at Chloe.

"Not at all," Chloe smiled a Cheshire grin. _I will make you uncomfortable in a minute, _she thought_._

Chloe asked Beca to lie on her back as she kneeled next to the DJ and told her she was going to lift her leg up to stretch her hamstrings. The DJ just nodded. Chloe grabbed a hold of the brunette's left ankle while she placed her right hand on Beca's right thigh. Chloe had barely lifted her leg straight when Beca had to tell her to stop going further because of the pain.

"You feel okay there?" Chloe questioned as she held the stretch a bit longer. Beca just nodded. It was painful but she knew it was probably for the best. After a few seconds Chloe moved into bending the straight leg she'd been holding over Beca's torso so that Beca's thigh and chest almost touched. Chloe still kept her right hand on Beca's right thigh, maybe adding a bit more pressure. As Chloe leaned closer to put more of her bodyweight on Beca's leg the DJ's mind started racing.

It was everything about the situation that just made it seem unreal. This was the second time in two days when Chloe Beale was lying on top of her. Beca thought she hadn't got a proper warning this time either. And then she heard Chloe huff in a low voice:

"Just let me know if I'm making you uncomfortable _at all_."

Suddenly Beca felt very naked in her bikini. Chloe's chest was pressed against Beca's shin and she was acting like what they were doing was nothing out of the ordinary for her. _Maybe it wasn't. She's a personal trainer after all, Beca thought. She stretches people for a job. That doesn't sound dirty at all, does it? _If someone walked in on them right it would look something totally different than stretching…

Beca kept her eyes fixed on Chloe's. The redhead was still smiling that same confident smile as she leaned in even closer as much as Beca's leg gave in. Beca hoped Chloe couldn't feel her heart beat starting to pick up. To Beca's (short) relief Chloe released Beca's leg but then repeated the stretch to the other side.

"Still feeling okay?" The ginger queried as she watched the DJ lying on the ground.

"Ye-s," Beca tried to keep the shakiness out of her voice but failed.

The redhead could clearly see the blush creeping on Beca's cheeks and the obvious discomfort of the brunette because of their position. _Not so comfy after all? The next_ _one will break you…_

Chloe slowly straightened both of Beca's legs and grasped Beca's ankles from inside. _Payback time_.

"I'm just going to stretch your groin here. Let me know if it doesn't feel right for you," Chloe stated calmly as she started spreading Beca's straightened legs down to the sides. She could see the DJ's face turn into a brighter shade of red the further she spread her legs. Beca couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, stop. I'll go put some shorts on," the flushed DJ gasped.

"That's all I wanted to know," Chloe smirked as she let go of the brunette's legs. She tried to suppress her laugh when the DJ started towards the house as fast as she could with her stiff legs. Beca's ears and cheeks shone bright pink.

_Game, set, match_, Chloe thought as she chuckled and waited for Beca to return.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's an extra long chapter that took extra long to write. I struggled a bit as there are many ideas that I want to piece together for future events. I had a go on Beca's back story and there's a bit of Bechloe conflict as well. I felt like it was time for some (small) drama. Of course mainly because I just want to write about the making up part haha. Hopefully will post the next chapter faster than this one. Reviews welcome!**

__Chapter 7.

_A few weeks later_

Chloe was feeling exhausted today. She's had two client training sessions in the morning and run a dance class at a gym of her friend and former choreographer Cynthia Rose. Cynthia Rose had been the one to choreograph Chloe's performances during the last year of her career. They had become friends and kept in touch when Chloe ended her career. When Chloe moved to Los Angeles Cynthia Rose had been the first person to reach out to Chloe and offer her to teach some dance and fitness classes at the gym CR co-owned with her girlfriend. Chloe had gladly accepted and was grateful for everything CR had done for her so far. Now that her personal training business was really picking up her classes had been reduced at the gym but she did one or two classes a week at least and helped out when CR was short of staff.

Cynthia Rose was also a person whom Chloe could talk to about her personal life. She could talk to Aubrey but sometimes it felt easier to talk to a person who had had her share of girl problems before. Today they'd had a discussion about Beca when Chloe ended her class. She had some free time before meeting her next client who just happened to be Beca. Chloe was meeting the DJ for a late afternoon session instead of their usual morning time as Beca was now busy working on her second studio album during the day.

Chloe had told CR about the meetings she'd had with the famous DJ over the past few weeks and had made her friend laugh in tears. Cynthia Rose could only smile incredulously when Chloe told about the DJ's way of making her blurt the most stupid things at their first meeting or make her feel really uncomfortable with her comments and how she had turned the tables in their second training session. Chloe had thought getting back at the DJ would be the best option. The stretching session had been a victory of sorts for her as she wanted to get her point across who was actually in charge. Even though she achieved her goal Chloe knew it was time for a new approach. If only words could burn calories and get results they could keep going like that for the whole year but Chloe knew better. Her responsibility lay in looking after Beca's fitness only and not training the DJ's verbal skills. She should've made it clear from the start.

Chloe was aware that she had made a similar promise already after their first meeting but failed again in their second session. She just couldn't resist the temptation for making the DJ uncomfortable for once. And that was the thing that bothered Chloe how much she had enjoyed the situation. As their training grew more intense she pushed the thought aside. Getting Beca in shape was the main focus here. Chloe had come to care of her star client in the weeks they had known each other. Their personalities seemed to go well together and Chloe found herself really looking forward to their meetings.

After listening to Chloe's story Cynthia Rose thought the signs were already there for Chloe to come to care for her star client more than just professionally. They seemed to get along great and based on what Chloe had told her about their sessions so far there was definitely some really obvious sexual tension between the two. Chloe still saw it just as teasing and clearly she didn't think the DJ was actually interested in her.

Cynthia Rose only hoped that the lively redhead wouldn't hurt herself in the process if anything would happen between them. Things would get a lot more complicated if emotions were involved in Chloe's and Beca's working relationship. It wouldn't be good for Chloe's career either if the word got out that she was involved with a client. Even if they would end up together after their contract was finished Chloe would be known as Beca's personal trainer who had entered in a relationship with her (ex)client. Making the distinction would probably help Chloe to keep her clients but dating Beca Mitchell would certainly make her a target in the media and maybe distance her from the figure skating circles for good if she ever wished to return.

Cynthia Rose wasn't so sure if Chloe was done with figure skating. Despite of bringing home silver, the last Winter Olympics had been a tremendous disappointment for Chloe. Cynthia Rose had been there to witness that firsthand. Chloe hadn't been skating for over a year now but she was in great shape thanks to her profession. The break had also given her body enough time to recover from the injuries that were a part of her retirement decision. Chloe was still young and in Cynthia Rose's opinion Chloe could still make a comeback to the world elite and maybe, if everything went according to the plan, even have a chance on that Olympic gold medal.

Cynthia Rose noticed that she was getting way ahead of herself. Chloe hadn't expressed any interest in a comeback. Maybe she was happy doing fitness as a career for now. Somehow Cynthia Rose however doubted that. With a push to the right direction who knew what could happen. CR considered it worth a try.

A big charity skating gala was coming up in 10 months. They were still looking for performers and had approached Cynthia Rose about the possibility to choreograph some performances. CR would like nothing better than to choreograph Chloe's performance again. She knew she had to be subtle about it as she wasn't sure how the former athlete felt about skating again. Cynthia Rose's goal was first to get Chloe to perform in the gala and then get her to reconsider her retirement.

Cynthia Rose wasn't sure what role Beca Mitchell would play in the process but Chloe Beale deserved to get the crowning moment for her career that was so crudely stripped from her. Now there was still plenty of time to persuade Chloe to perform in the show. If she got Chloe Beale to step on the ice again CR was sure that Chloe would come around. America needed its figure skating sweetheart back.

xxx

Beca had never been as tired as after the first week of training with Chloe. She went to bed before 10pm and slept at least ten hours per night. Her DOMS slowly got better towards the end of the week as they kept to lighter exercise but with Beca's starting level every session was hard work. Chloe kept telling her how she would start to feel a lot different in a few months but the DJ just couldn't see it yet. She didn't feel the contentment after exercise that Chloe constantly referred to. Beca felt like she only did the exercises for Chloe as she couldn't find the motivation in herself. Beca thoroughly enjoyed their banter back and forth and many times it took her concentration away from the reason she'd started to work with Chloe in the first place – getting in shape. Chloe didn't make it any easier with her teasingly flirty demeanor that Beca had witnessed up close in their second session. Chloe had quickly picked up the banter the DJ usually used and Beca had to admit that Chloe was able to do something not a lot of people could – leave her speechless. Beca didn't let the thought to bother her too much though as she was sure there would be many chances to set things right and for Beca to end on top – literally if she had her way. Beca felt they had a connection from the start and now she just had to make Chloe see it as well.

That was her plan anyway but as October drew nearer Beca's spirits wore down as they always did when she got to October. There was one day in October she absolutely hated, for a good reason. The day also happened to be right in the middle of the month so the first half of the month just went by as October 15th loomed nearer.

xxx

Chloe was getting a bit worried about Beca. As much as she enjoyed their flirting and banter she had never come across a person who seemed to push it as much as Beca. Of course she was a huge star who had already made enough money to last for a lifetime. Somehow Chloe had a feeling there was another side to Beca than just the confident façade she was putting up for the world to see. Chloe really cared for her clients and wanted to help them to make the most of their training together.

The last week the DJ had been less verbal at their training sessions than in the beginning. As Beca got tired she also started a habit of complaining and muttering to herself. Chloe had known from the beginning Beca's relationship to sports wasn't exactly enthusiastic so she had anticipated the moment when the DJ started feeling frustrated because she couldn't see the results yet but felt horrible after every session since her body was still adjusting to the new routine. It would take a couple of months before Beca's body adjusted and started taking in the training. Beca's impatient nature was something that didn't really help her case either. The complaints grew louder the more tired the DJ got and it was starting to annoy Chloe. She found it amusing and annoying at the same time how Beca used every excuse to get in close contact with her in the sessions and flirt with her shamelessly.

Chloe didn't mind if she motivated Beca to exercise but at the end in order for results to show and changes to occur Beca had to find the motivation in herself. Chloe just had to find a way to get under the DJ's skin and see what lay beneath those steely blue eyes and cocky smirk. When she found out what made Beca tick they would make some real progress. It didn't hurt in Chloe's profession to know some basic psychology. She wasn't there to play a therapist but sometimes it required her to get to see the world from her client's perspective to know how she could best help them.

Chloe took a sip of her water as she checked her surroundings to see if she had everything she needed for today's workout. She was going to push Beca to the limit. The intensity of this workout would come close to the one they did on their very first session a few weeks ago. Chloe turned as she heard the DJ step into the room. Beca looked tired as she slouched in with a hood pulled over her head and sunglasses over her eyes. She made a sound that might have been a greeting as she lowered herself on the gym bench and put her hands in her pockets. She yawned as she removed her hood and sunglasses.

"You know that bench isn't for sitting," Chloe stated smiling as she received a look from the DJ who now stood up and placed her hoodie and sunglasses in the corner.

"Did you get paps on your tail?" Chloe enquired as the DJ still hadn't said a comprehensible word after she'd entered the room.

"Just the usual TMZ crew I guess. Waiting for me to pass out again," Beca scoffed as she now stepped in front of Chloe.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I guess your Porsche is just a bit too showy for you to go unnoticed."

"It's not a Porsche. I drive an average price range car and they still seem to know where I am every minute of the day. Won't they ever let me be?"

"Comes with the profession I guess. You ready for today?" Chloe was excited to get on with their session and stick to her plan. Beca looked around to see the equipment Chloe had gathered and looked at the redhead warily.

"You going to kill me today? I'm still exhausted from Wednesday's session."

Chloe ignored Beca's last sentence and smiled:

"I'm just keeping to our contract. Warm up on the treadmill first. Chop chop! Time to look ugly and sweaty today!"

Beca climbed on the treadmill and started jogging as Chloe set the speed for her. She'd had a tiring day at the recording studio. That wasn't the reason for her low mood though.

Today was October 15th. It was the day that permanently changed her life ten years ago. Beca had come to hate that day ever since. She had been at school eating lunch when the principal of the school had asked Beca to come to her office. Beca could tell there was something horribly wrong by the grievous expression on the woman's face. She had sat Beca down and broken the news. Beca's mother had died in a car crash.

Mrs. Mitchell had been on her way home on the highway when a truck driver had fallen asleep on the wheel on the opposite lane and resulted in crashing with Beca's mother's car. According to the paramedics Mrs. Mitchell had died in seconds. The force of the crash had been so great that there was no way she could've survived. Apparently the truck driver had driven through the night and that morning to make it in time to deliver new equipment to an ice hockey team that had lost all of its players' equipment in a fire the previous night. The team was set to play an away match that night and needed to get the new equipment delivered from their home state. The driver hadn't taken the breaks he was required to take by the law as he was hoping to get a bonus for delivering the equipment in record time. The event caused a media frenzy and eventually the match was cancelled. Nothing could change the fact that Beca's mother was gone. Beca was only eleven at the time and didn't understand then or years later how one game could be so important that it required the lives of two people.

Beca sat at the principal's office for hours as she waited her father to pick her up. The principal explained her father was taking care of the necessary arrangements but would be there to pick up Beca shortly. Beca didn't understand why he didn't come and get her first. What could he do anymore when Beca's mother and his wife was already gone? She needed him to tell her everything's going to be okay. Beca didn't believe it for one second but she wouldn't mind hearing it once.

When her father finally arrived Beca's tears had already dried. She'd been crying for the past two hours and it was a long time for someone like Beca who didn't really like displaying her emotions publicly. When her father embraced her and broke down in hopeless tears Beca felt like she had to stay strong, for the both of them.

"It's going to be okay daddy," she whispered as it became clear she wasn't going to hear it from her father. The words were as empty as the home they stepped in a few hours later.

It seemed that acting strong became the role Beca took on as her father couldn't bring himself to do it. Beca had her own demons to fight but seeing her father so out of balance urged Beca to keep it up and as her father enforced it by stating how proud he was that Beca is able to stay so strong.

When weeks and months went by and father still continued to drown in his sorrow Beca used all her will to get to him. In the rare moments of success Beca felt proud of herself.

Beca went back to school after being absent for a month and felt instantly like an outsider. She didn't have many friends to start with but now it seemed that she was the odd one out whose story everyone knew but didn't really know how they should approach her.

As Beca went back to school her father also returned to his work at the university and it seemed to help him get back on track again. First Beca was glad that her father had finally found a new direction for his life but soon he became so absorbed and busy as he tried to cope with his wife's death that Beca was left alone again.

She started to find comfort in music as the years went by. First she just listened to find comfort but soon she felt like there were words and melodies playing in her head that she had to put down in paper. Beca delved deeper into music as that was the place where she's able to forget about everything else. She poured a lot of her pain in the music as she made her first clumsy attempts to write her pain in lyrics.

Then slowly she began to tell stories with her music, almost like a writer creating a background story for a character. It helped Beca to forget. As more time went by she felt the need to turn into more upbeat music as she found that listening to uplifting music made it easier for her to cope.

Beca remembered the moment she saw DJ'ing for the first time at a football match where her father dragged her. Beca was amazed how the DJ could change the atmosphere at the event by just playing different music. He made mixes of songs unlike anything Beca had ever heard before. Beca was driven to learn what that DJ was doing at that match. She spent hours and hours just using her computer to teach herself.

Her father came out of his slump eventually to pay his daughter more attention but for Beca it felt too late. She was already unreachable behind the walls she'd build around herself. There were no cracks in the walls and Beca merely shot her sarcastic remarks over them that she'd learn to use over the years. His father was now determined to rekindle their father daughter relationship and told Beca to ask him for anything that would make her feel better about the situation she has put her daughter in. Beca eventually asked him to buy her proper mixing equipment. He agreed as he saw how important it was to Beca That was the last time Beca asked her dad for anything.

The talent competition was an intervention Beca had secretly hoped for years. She was thrilled that there was a person that believed in her like Luke did and is ready to take a chance on her. Her father was obviously against Beca's plans as he tried to convince Beca to have college education first in the same university he teaches in – for free he added. Beca however felt that she might not get a chance like this again and she set her jaw. Beca had no interest in studying in a college where her father would be so close to her either.

She had no reason to think otherwise especially when one day her father brought home a new woman. Beca was caught by a surprise as she'd thought he could've never continued his life after his wife's death. The upcoming months show that the woman, Sheila, is there to stay though. Her father seems to have a big idea of them being one big happy family but Beca didn't think so. Beca's father had to finally give in as Beca was not a minor anymore as she graduated from high school. Beca however only sees what lies ahead of her. The only person she's really leaving behind is Jesse and he'd told Beca he would follow suit in a few years.

Beca was accustomed of visiting her mother's grave every year on the day of her death but when she moved to L.A. she had stopped going back because she simply couldn't afford to travel across the country. When she acquired enough wealth to be able to travel there she couldn't bring herself to do it anymore. She had been gone many years already.

Luke and her closest friends knew what October 15th meant to Beca. Beca had told them not to mention what happened on that day. She usually spent the day completely absorbed in work as it was the best way to get over the day faster. Distancing seemed to be a widely used defense mechanism in their family.

Beca had cancelled her nutrition session with Aubrey for today but she hadn't cancelled Chloe as she thought exercise and Chloe might help her to distract her thoughts from the otherwise gloomy day. As she entered the gym Chloe seemed to be her usual bubbly self. Beca tried to switch on to her normal attitude when Chloe teased her about her car. She was here to get distracted, right?

Chloe noticed that Beca's concentration was even worse than usual and this time Beca seemed to be distracted by something else than Chloe. Chloe didn't know what was bothering the brunette. Chloe thought the DJ seemed a bit weary but since she'd come across the pictures of Beca leaving a club late last night she thought the DJ was just tired after partying. Chloe wasn't too happy about that.

They had agreed that Beca wouldn't go partying the night before their workout or at least she would let Chloe know in advance if she was going to be tired so that Chloe could take that into account when planning the session. Of course if Beca was hung over there would be no session since it could prove very dangerous.

Chloe didn't usually read the gossip sites but Aubrey had a habit of checking them at least once a day and she had told Chloe about Beca's night out. She also told Chloe that Beca had cancelled their nutrition session "due to unforeseen circumstances", whatever they may be.

Beca didn't look too bad in the pictures and according to the story the DJ had hardly been seen with a glass in her hand the whole night. The gossip sites speculated if this was because of her complete lifestyle that had occurred after she collapsed on stage. Chloe decided not to mention anything about Beca's late night if the DJ worked her ass off. She didn't really know what the truth was. But the DJ was slacking Chloe was sure to give her a hard time about it.

They did 30 minutes on the treadmill instead of the usual 10. Beca took Chloe's advice on just doing and not thinking. It seemed to fit the theme for today. Beca barely made it through the last few minutes of the running. She tried to tell Chloe that she felt she couldn't take another step but she was simply too out of breath to express anything with words.

Chloe had to support Beca when she stepped off the treadmill so that the DJ didn't fall down. Finally Beca was able to speak.

"The last few minutes I felt like dying. You're going to kill me today, aren't you."

Chloe stood very close to Beca as she met the brunette's tired eyes.

"That's my job. Now get that resistance band on and get those legs moving. C'moon!"

Beca nodded as she pulled the elastic band over her waist and started sprinting towards Chloe who was standing further away.

"All the way Beca, sprint!"

Beca's legs were screaming in pain from the running but Chloe wasn't giving her any rest. She felt the same helpless feeling again that had ensued for the past week. She couldn't push herself any further. Her brain was telling her to stop this madness. She wasn't cut out for this.

Chloe was starting to get frustrated when she saw Beca wasn't putting her best effort in. Far from it. There was something holding Beca back and Chloe was going to get to the heart of the matter.

"Faster Mitchell! It's a sprint! You're not trying!" Chloe yelled as she placed her hands on her hips as Beca made a poor effort of reaching the spot where the redhead was standing. Beca couldn't silence the nagging voice in her head anymore.

"I am trying! I'm tired! You're not giving me any rest!"

"You're not tired enough if you can still talk. Ten more reps! You can rest after!"

Beca's legs were jelly. The resistance band was burning her stomach and she felt like she could faint any minute. She did two more but then she had to stop to catch her breath.

"No seriously, I can't…that's it for me."

Chloe couldn't believe Beca was quitting. That left her no options. It was time for some tough love.

"That's not what you said last night is it? I thought we had agreed some ground rules about partying the night before!"

That got Beca defensive and really angry. She'd only been out to see Amy, Jesse and Stacy. They'd had a few drinks but Beca hadn't been drunk. Chloe must've seen the pictures of her leaving the club. She really hated the paparazzi for taking her picture where ever she went.

Beca shed the resistance band from her waist and slammed it on the floor. Her eyes shot daggers at Chloe. Beca didn't even know where all this emotion stemmed from but she felt it had been just waiting to burst out for a while now.

"I wasn't drinking! I'm well aware of what we agreed! I'm just so fucking tired!"

Chloe frowned as she spit back:

"Show some respect and next time show up training ready! A good night's sleep wouldn't hurt either!"

Beca was furious now. She stared at the taller woman and was annoyed that she couldn't meet her at eye level because of their height difference.

"I already told you I wasn't drunk! Who are you to tell me what to do with my free time?!"

"I'm not your mother so I can't tell you what to do with your life outside our sessions but as your trainer I am responsible for keeping you on the right track! If you show up to trainings tired because you can't respect our agreement we've got a problem here!"

Beca's expression changed considerably at Chloe's mention of her mother. Her anger seemed to wear down a notch. Beca reminded herself that Chloe didn't know. She bit her lip and frowned as she stared at her shoes before she finally looked up to meet Chloe's eyes.

"You're right. You're not my mother. I'm done for today," Beca stated sternly as she turned around, grabbed her things and walked out of the gym, leaving Chloe to watch the brunette walk away.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: First of all thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate the feedback. Sorry for the wait. Here's chapter 8. Reviews always welcomed. **

Chapter 8.

Beca was still on a verge of an angry outburst when she stepped out of the gym to the parking lot. The moment she walked out on Chloe she wondered if it was the wrong thing to do. She wasn't ready to swallow her pride and turn back though. Beca felt too angry to have a sensible conversation with anyone right now. She felt extremely frustrated by the redhead's way of constantly finding new ways to get under her skin to evoke these outbursts of emotion out of her.

The surge of emotion was also the reason Beca completely forgot about the paparazzi that had followed her to the gym earlier. The camera flashes were almost blinding when she stepped out of the gym and was surrounded by photographers. She tried to ignore their intrusive comments as she pushed her way through the sea of people. When they crammed their cameras only inches from her face to get a shot it really made her feel like punching someone.

"Leave me alone. I've got nothing to say to you," Beca yelled as she tried to move through. Why didn't her car come any closer?

"Why the sour face Beca? Are just that much out of shape?" Someone yelled. The comment made Beca spin on her heels. Without really thinking Beca clenched her fist. Before she could act on her impulse to punch the guy in the face she heard a commanding voice behind her and a hand on her shoulder.

"Let her through before I call the cops for assaulting my client! You got your pictures! Back off!" A woman's voice yelled as she guided Beca through the crowd. The photographers seemed to take the hint as they finally backed off enough for Beca to reach her car. She turned to face her savior. Beca hated herself for feeling so disappointed that it wasn't Chloe who had come for her rescue. Her anger was wearing off now.

She was faced with a tall African-American woman with short red hair. Beca didn't think she had seen her before.

"Thank you for that. I don't believe we have met?"

The taller woman shook her head and offered her hand to Beca. Beca took it and they shook hands. The woman had a firm handshake as she leveled Beca with her eyes.

"I'm Cynthia Rose, owner of the gym. I'm really sorry for what happened. I saw the situation unfold and thought someone needs to tell them off. It worked this time. Unfortunately I can't guarantee there won't be a next time."

Beca nodded wearily. She now remembered Chloe telling her that Cynthia Rose had choreographed her performances before and now let Chloe use her gym for training clients.

"Thanks once again for saving me Cynthia Rose. I should probably get going as it seems they're getting their cameras ready for my exit…" Beca motioned towards the photographers who were now lining up further away in the parking lot.

Beca opened the door to her car and was about to step in when Cynthia Rose's voice stopped her for the second time.

"Listen, it will be fine."

Beca shrugged as she sat down on the driver's seat.

"Oh yeah, I've had my share of the paparazzi attention before. It's just a part of this profession."

Cynthia Rose paused for a moment as she glanced down at the DJ.

"I meant Chloe_._ I've known her for years. She'll come around."

"How did you-?" Beca wondered but was interrupted by Cynthia Rose for the third time.

"No time for that. The paps are getting into their cars so you better get going. If you need anything just give me a call."

With that Cynthia Rose handed her business card to the overwhelmed DJ and shut the car door. Beca wasted no time in getting out of the parking lot before the paparazzi could follow her.

She stopped to fill the tank a few minutes later. Beca pondered for a while what she should do next. She knew she really needed to talk to someone. In this situation she really had only one option. Beca made the call.

After ringing for a long time the call went to voicemail.

_"Hi, it's Jesse. Leave a message."_

"I don't want to leave a message. Pick up your damn phone," Beca exclaimed as she dialed again. She began a frustrated pace around her car. After a few rings he finally picked up.

"Hey Becaw! I just finished a meeting. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you. Where are you now?"

"I'm at Universal, where are you? Is everything okay?"

Beca sighed heavily as she just simply said:

"No. I'll pick you up in 20."

"Okay, see you soon Beca. Drive safe."

At Universal Studios Jesse stared at his phone with a concerned frown on his face. Beca rarely called anyone. She usually preferred to text. Plus she had admitted straight away that something was wrong. Jesse hoped he could help whatever it was that had got his famous DJ friend upset.

xxx

"Bad day?" Aubrey asked sympathetically as Chloe slumped onto the couch next to her and let out a heavy sigh.

"Only the last couple of hours. You've got time?"

"Always. I'll get you something to drink."

Chloe nodded thankfully. The blonde soon emerged from the kitchen.

Aubrey placed two wine glasses on the table and took a seat on the couch now turning to face Chloe.

"I guess the training with our star DJ didn't go too well," Aubrey said as she examined the redhead's clenched jaw.

"You guessed right," Chloe huffed as she took a sip of her wine and let out another sigh. Chloe placed her glass on the table again and told Aubrey about the events at the gym.

"I told her to show some respect and then she just told me she was done for today and walked out on me."

Aubrey shook her head disapprovingly.

"Unbelievable. Who is she to call off the session? She's acting like a petulant child walking out like that."

"She even admitted going out last night even though we specifically agreed against that."

"And she cancelled the nutrition session. She knew I would've given her hell about it. Probably she wasn't expecting you to be the one to do that."

Chloe felt a bit uneasy at Aubrey's last comment. She really wanted to believe there was something else behind Beca's frantic outburst than just being confronted about her night out. Chloe felt a bit guilty about pushing the DJ so hard as clearly Beca wasn't herself for some reason today.

"I just think I might've gone too far. I feel kind of bad. We were both tired. I don't think she was herself."

Aubrey placed her hands on Chloe's shoulders knowing too well how Chloe's conscience usually came to hunt her.

"Don't you dare feel guilty about this. She's the one who ought to apologize."

Chloe shrugged. She couldn't help herself. Chloe couldn't stand the feeling of someone being angry at her. When it came to arguments she was almost always the one to make peace first. She knew Aubrey was right but seeing Beca so visibly upset because of her words still made her feel bad about it.

Aubrey's next words brought her back from her thoughts.

"Did you tell her anything when she walked out?"

"No, it happened so fast. I didn't expect her to do that." Chloe grabbed her phone and tapped the screen for a few times to retrieve sent messages.

"I did send her this though," Chloe sighed as she showed Aubrey what the screen said. She had done it in a whim as she watched Beca walk out of the gym. The message only added to her guilty conscience. Aubrey's reaction didn't help either. The blonde raised her eyebrows at the message and grinned at her friend.

"Wow. I have new respect for you. Ball is definitely in Beca's court now."

As Chloe felt the overriding guilt she reminded herself that it was Beca who had walked out on her and not the other way around. She knew deep down that it was important that it was Beca who should come to her first. She just had to keep to the sidelines until the DJ would come around to make amends. Chloe had a feeling that this might prove a turning point in their working relationship. She was eager to find out what was really going on beyond the DJ's cool surface but it would have to happen on Beca's initiative.

xxx

_"The sessions are out until you learn to respect our agreement." _Jesse read the message out loud and handed the phone back to Beca.

"Wow," was all he could say as he took a sip of his bottle and leaned back on his elbows. They were sitting on the hood of Beca's car overlooking the Hollywood district of Los Angeles from Hollywood Hills. Beca sat next to Jesse, legs pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees. She looked at her friend when he handed her phone back but didn't say anything. They were silent for a while but then Beca sighed.

"Okay, she's mad. I get it. But what is she expecting me to do? I probably shouldn't have walked out on her but I wasn't really breaking our agreement."

At that Jesse gave her a look that prompted Beca to say:

"Okay maybe I shouldn't have gone out last night. But I wasn't drunk. I was just tired today."

"But that makes a difference, doesn't it? You weren't 100 % ready for training. To Chloe it only looks like you don't care."

"I do! It's just the worst day-"

Jesse cut Beca off.

"But she didn't know that. She had no other reason to suspect you wouldn't be fit for training except the pictures she saw from last night. She acted solely based on that information. You know that every time you go on a night out there will be people to take your picture. You knew Chloe could find out."

Beca wanted to argue against it but deep down she knew Jesse was right. She didn't think Chloe would read the gossip sites.

Beca had got herself into a tricky situation. There was no way she was able to explain Chloe why she had been out last night if she didn't tell her what this day meant to her. Going out had really been another way to get her thoughts off the otherwise grim day.

It seemed that Jesse was able to pick up on what was going through Beca's mind.

"If you want her to really understand your position you should tell her. Otherwise she might think you simply don't care enough. Of which I'm not sure about either."

"Tell her? I've known her for less than a month. I only told you after we had known each other for two years."

"That didn't go too well for us, did it…" Jesse shrugged but as Beca glared at him Jesse continued.

"Or maybe it was because of the fact you're not into guys."

"But I still think she should know. You're going to spend a lot of time together this year and she needs to know if there's something holding you back. She's not only training your body but your mind as well."

"Did you take that quote from Biggest Loser or something?" Beca remarked. Jesse decided to change the subject before Beca could further question the origin of his "wisdom". Watching different weight loss and make over shows definitely helped.

"Right. Back to the start. Remind me again why are you doing this whole new lifestyle thing?"

"Because I collapsed on stage and I could risk a premature heart failure if I don't change my habits," Beca muttered and thought back to her first meeting with Aubrey laying out the facts for her.

Jesse nodded.

"And you're going to do this how?"

"That's why I've hired a nutrition specialist and a personal trainer to make sure I make it happen."

"So what's the problem then?" Jesse demanded.

Beca thought about it for a few seconds.

"I guess I just didn't realize how hard this was going to be. I mean the nutrition part is going okay Aubrey breathing down my neck all the time and watching literally everything I eat. That woman can be really scary if she thinks I'm not eating my veggies. But exercising is a whole different thing. It's so demanding for your body. I feel like I want to die after every session. I'm sore and tired every week and I feel horrible. There's no flow or euphoric feeling – ever."

"And have you told her any of this? I mean she seems pretty smart so she's probably noticed you're not in it 100 %. Did she tell you when you could realistically expect some results or feel any different?"

"We haven't talked a whole lot really. She did tell me though that it would take something like two months to see the first results or really feel the difference."

"And how long has it been since you started?"

Beca gave Jesse a sheepish smile.

"Two and a half weeks."

Jesse nodded sturdily and smiled.

"There you go. You can check in with me in six weeks and let me know how you feel. My job here is done," he announced as he jokingly pretended to get off the hood and walk away. Beca however grabbed his arm before he moved out of her reach and gave him a pleading look. Jesse was taken aback by the look in Beca's eyes. He didn't get to see Beca totally serious that often.

"What do I do Jesse? I want to show Chloe that I'm going to start caring."

Jesse sighed as he looked thoughtfully at his former high school girlfriend. Years ago he would've given anything for Beca to look at him like she did now when she was talking about Chloe. That was years ago though. It was time to focus on the present time again. Jesse wished he knew a bit more about Chloe. The text sure didn't sound too happy.

"First you apologize for acting like a jerk."

"I got that much figured out. How though? Should I call, text or meet her?"

"Call her first. She will hang up if she's too pissed off to talk to you."

Beca glared at him again.

"What? That's true. If she doesn't hang up straight away then you should agree on a meeting. Tell her you two should talk before the next training session. If she agrees you go on and pour your heart out to her and beg for forgiveness. Don't roll your eyes at me like that. Finally find something that will make up for your behavior."

"Thanks Jesse. I think I've got an idea."

"Anytime Beca, anytime. This session is for free but if you make a habit of it I will have to start charging you."

That earned him the finger from Beca.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you for following and reviewing the story. Here's chapter 9, aka reconciliation. Reviews make me extremely happy. ;) **

Chapter 9.

One full day passed in silence between Beca and Chloe. Chloe had the next morning free since the session with Beca was now cancelled.

Chloe used her rare free time to do a similar workout she'd had Beca try the day before. She had to admit it was a tough workout but nothing the DJ couldn't have survived if she had only set her mind to it.

Chloe had her phone on silent during the workout and so after the workout she noticed that there were two missed calls from Beca. Chloe was weighing whether she should call back when her phone rang again. This time it was Cynthia Rose who asked her to cover for a dance instructor who had reported sick only an hour before she was supposed to have the class. Chloe told CR she would cover for the class and so she abandoned the thought of calling Beca as she hopped into her car and drove to the gym.

Chloe finished the dance class just before eleven. Chloe got her things together and thanked the participants for coming. It had been a successful class despite the last-minute instructor change. She heard a knock on the door and saw smiling Cynthia Rose step in to the room.

"It sounded like Donald should be sick more often. Everyone seemed to love your class. Most of them came to thank me individually. You sure you wouldn't like take more classes to teach?"

"I'm honored Cynthia but you know how my schedule is like. The bad thing about working with celebrities is that you need to be on standby almost 24 hours a day. I was only able to take this class because one of the training sessions got cancelled."

Cynthia Rose nodded. She knew how hard Chloe worked for her clients.

"Speaking about your clients I ran into Beca the day before after you guys finished your session." Cynthia Rose observed Chloe's face when she mentioned Beca. Chloe's expression was unreadable. Chloe's voice was calm when she replied:

"Did you? Where?"

"Outside the gym when she was ambushed by an army of paparazzi. I helped her to get to her car."

"That was nice of you." Chloe kept her voice even but she didn't look at Cynthia Rose.

"Did something happen?" Cynthia Rose asked carefully. The day before she had heard raised voices and then an angry-looking Beca Mitchell had stormed out of the gym.

"We had a disagreement and as a result she walked out on me," Chloe huffed as she didn't really care to talk about what happened the day before.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that Chloe."

"Well she should be the one who's sorry," Chloe sighed.

She felt her phone vibrate in her bag and reached for it pressing 'talk' without even checking the screen for who was calling.

Before the trainer could even say hello she was met with a frantic rant on the other end of the line.

"Chloe? Please don't hang up. I've been trying to call you all morning. Just listen for a second, okay? "

It took Chloe a few seconds to piece it all together.

"Beca?"

Chloe waved goodbye to Cynthia Rose as she left the room.

"Of course Beca. You do have my number don't you…? Oh my god did you delete my number already? I must've really messed up. I knew you were mad. I thought you'd never pick up."

Chloe removed her phone from her ear and checked missed calls. 7 of them to be exact.

"I see."

"Please don't hang up Chloe. I will only take a minute of your time I promise!"

Chloe couldn't help smiling at the DJ's franticness. It was actually kind of endearing. She tried not to sound too excited. Beca should work a bit more for her forgiveness.

"I'll consider but only if you calm down first."

Beca took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. Chloe wasn't going to hang up at least straight away.

"Okay I'm calm now."

"Go on then."

Beca bit her lip nervously as she prepared her next words.

"I called to say I'm really sorry about what happened the day before. I acted like a jerk."

Well this was unexpected, Chloe thought. She hadn't expected Beca to come clean so fast.

"That is pretty close to the definition of walking out on your trainer," Chloe stated coolly.

She heard the DJ sigh in the other end.

"I shouldn't have done it. I was in a bad place emotionally. It just escalated. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"I could see that. It was about more than just the night out wasn't it?"

Beca hesitated with her next words. She thought back to her conversation with Jesse. The only way to make Chloe really understand was to tell her. That also meant trusting her. Beca didn't know if Chloe was still there as she cleared her throat.

"Yes. But I'd prefer to talk in person. There are some other things we should also discuss before the next session."

"I agree."

"So could we meet?"

There was a pause. Beca silently prayed Chloe was still there. She let out a relieved sigh when she heard Chloe's voice.

"How's tomorrow evening working for you?"

xxx

Beca's hands were sweaty. She checked her appearance on her bedroom mirror for the fifth time in the last-minute and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. She couldn't believe how nervous she felt to meet Chloe tonight.

_She's just coming here to talk about training, _Beca told herself for the thousandth time. _You don't have to say anything you don't want to say. _Beca sighed as she took one last glance at the mirror. She was wearing her favorite dark red jeans and a white checkered shirt. She wore her hair down and her usual dark eye makeup was in place.

Beca heard the doorbell ring exactly at seven. That woman was like clockwork, Beca thought as she reached the front door of her house. She wiped her hands at the back of her jeans and took a deep breath. When Beca was ready she swung the door open and opened her mouth for a greeting but her words died in her lips. Beca had to blink to believe what she was seeing.

Chloe stood at the door dressed in an identical outfit to Beca's. She wore the same shade of red jeans as Beca and her shirt was most likely a different brand than Beca's but it was close enough for them to look like matching twins. It didn't help either that Chloe wore her red hair down or that she wore darker eye makeup than usually. Beca realized that this was the first time she'd seen her trainer in other than her training clothes. Beca loved the way how the red hair framed Chloe's graceful facial features. Her hair must smell really good too, Beca thought as she admired the look of Chloe's soft locks.

Chloe smiled uneasily as she took in the DJ's outfit and shrugged.

"Great minds and all that."

"Yeah. Hi, come on in," Beca remembered her manners and she let the redhead past her.

Beca closed the door and looked at Chloe who now turned to Beca as she wasn't sure of what to do next.

Beca fiddled with her shirt as she eyed the redhead.

"Well this is a bit awkward. Should I go and change?"

Chloe offered her a small smile as she shrugged.

"Oh no, not on my account. We're a team anyway, right?"

"Right. So would you like something to drink?" Beca mentally told herself to loosen up. This was Chloe, her personal trainer, not the President of the United States. There was no reason to feel nervous.

Chloe observed the somewhat panic-stricken looking brunette before her and thought that the DJ was actually quite adorable when she tried so hard to act like she wasn't nervous about their meeting.

Chloe offered the brunette another small smile.

"I'm okay thanks."

Another awkward silence followed that Chloe decided to break.

"Should we just get to it then?"

"Aha, mhhmm. I mean yes. Follow me," Beca spun on her heel and led the way to the living room. They took a seat on the luxurious leather couch. Chloe thought that it must've been the most comfortable couch she had ever sat on. Unconscious of her actions she trailed her hand longingly on the smooth surface as she admired the exquisite piece of furniture.

Beca tried not to stare as Chloe expressed her obvious comfort towards the couch. As Chloe finally placed both of her hands in her lap and smiled encouragingly at the brunette Beca realized Chloe expected her to start the conversation.

"So how are you?" Beca asked as she thought it was best to start off casually.

Chloe leaned her head on her elbow and tilted her head as she took in the woman in front of her.

"Not too bad. And yourself?"

Beca shrugged.

"I'm okay I guess. Better than the day before anyway," she sighed. Beca looked somewhere over Chloe's shoulder as she searched for words. Chloe let the brunette take her time.

"So, the reason I asked you to come over today is that I think I should tell you a few things. We haven't really had a chance to actually discuss after our very first meeting."

Chloe nodded in agreement.

"True. How does it feel so far? We've been working together for almost three weeks now."

Beca paused for a bit before meeting Chloe's blue eyes.

"That's the thing. I didn't really know what I should've expected coming into this. And it's been hard. I've never been so sore and tired in my entire life."

Chloe just nodded to let Beca continue. She could believe that.

"I've been struggling. As you know, I started from zero. When you consider it, that's a huge change to go exercising five times a week and do it with the intensity we're doing it."

"I totally agree with you Beca. It's the hardest thing to change your habits. But you're doing it. You might not see it yet but I guarantee you that in couple of months you will start to feel like a whole new person. Just wait and see."

"Yeah I guess the problem is the last thing you said. I might get a little impatient sometimes," Beca grinned as she tried to shake the nervousness off her. Little humor usually helped.

Chloe rolled her eyes at the comment the DJ.

"Only a little?"

"Only a little," Beca confirmed as she offered Chloe an innocent smile. Chloe reminded herself again why she had come here in the first place.

"So what happened on Thursday?"

Beca thought twice how she should go about Chloe's question. She still argued with herself whether she should really do this. Chloe saw the hesitation and guessed that the DJ was engaging in a mental tell-or-not-to-tell battle at the moment. The brunette set her jaw and her eyes seemed almost steely as she stared particularly nowhere. Chloe got the same feeling again that beneath all that sulking there was something else that she needed to get in touch with. Chloe reached out to Beca. Her voice was soft as she spoke.

"It's okay to let your guard down and feel weak sometimes. We all do. It makes us human. You don't have to be the strong one all the time."

It was Chloe's voice full of empathy and her fingers massaging gently Beca's shoulder that finally forced a crack in her walls. This was the first time someone had verbalized the thought Beca had lived by for years after her mother's death. Beca the entertainer, who was trying so hard to get people to like and accept her, was momentarily stripped off and what was left was Beca, a young woman feeling insecure and scared to show just that.

When Beca caught a glimpse of Chloe's compassionate expression her carefully built defenses seemed to shatter. No one had ever been able to see through her like this. The thought scared her more than anything else as she wasn't sure what Chloe would think of her after telling about the one thing she had mastered hiding all these years.

Beca faltered under Chloe's intense gaze as she searched for the right words. She started from the events of October 15th. Her voice didn't crack once when she went through the story but halfway through the story without any warning she tasted something salty on her cheek.

It was the first time she'd cried in front of someone else in ten years. She looked at Chloe who hadn't removed her hand from her shoulder the entire time, waiting for judgment but there was no such a thing. Chloe didn't say a word when Beca finished speaking but instead closed her arms around the shorter woman and pulled her in for a tight hug. Beca pressed her head on Chloe's shoulder and smelled the familiar scent of Chloe's perfume again. She felt so comforted in Chloe's warm embrace. It felt natural.

Then she heard Chloe whisper:

"I'm so sorry. I wish I knew. I would've never said those things on Thursday."

Beca only hugged her tighter as she still refused to sob uncontrollably. She sniffled and buried her head deeper into Chloe's shoulder. Then she heard Chloe's voice again.

"You've come so far Beca. Everything's going to be okay."

That did it. Beca couldn't control herself anymore. Chloe had barged in, not by force but with sympathy and compassion. Beca was laid bare. How did Chloe manage to break something in one hour that Beca had built for 10 years?

It felt like several hours later even though it was only minutes later when Beca finally broke away from their embrace. Chloe hadn't moved an inch the entire time and now she only shifted as she felt Beca's warm body leave her arms.

Suddenly Beca felt an overriding feeling of shame. She was so weak. How had she let it come to this? Beca moved to rise from the couch but Chloe's gentle grip on her arm stopped her half way.

"Don't," Chloe simply said as she pleaded Beca with her eyes. When Beca still hesitated between detaching herself from the grip Chloe stood up as well and stepped closer to the DJ. Beca felt Chloe take a deep breath as the redhead raised her hand on Beca's cheek and wiped away the tear stains. Miraculously most of Beca's eye makeup was still in place. Beca sniffled again as she gazed into Chloe's eyes. She had nothing on Chloe Chloe had stripped her guard.

Chloe was speechless at the change in the DJ's expression. Her mind went blank as she delved into Beca's deep blue eyes. Chloe's hand lingered on Beca's cheek even though she finished wiping away the tears. She was lost in Beca's eyes for a while until finally her brain switched on again and she was able to speak.

"Don't feel ashamed. You're beautiful. Just the way you are now."

Beca looked in Chloe's eyes as she took a deep breath to steady herself. Her down turned lips curled into a small smile.

"Only because I wore waterproof mascara," It was more like a whisper but Chloe heard it regardless and it made her burst into giggle. The redhead shook her head; smiling as she finally removed her hand from Beca's cheek.

_Oh Beca. I thought we almost had a moment there._

"I was being serious _Beca_."

"So was I,_ Chloe_."

The moment passed. They sat back down on the couch, a bit further apart from each other this time but they could both feel a new feeling of closeness that settled between them. They had taken a big step tonight.

"Thanks for telling me. It means a lot to me," Chloe nodded at Beca who returned the gesture.

"I don't know how you've managed all these years. It must've been so consuming. How is your father doing these days?"

Beca shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. The last time I saw him was when he stood by my hospital bed four weeks ago. We're not very good at staying at the same room for long. He was out of there in about five minutes."

Chloe looked thoughtful as she examined the brunette carefully. She sensed it wouldn't be wise to try and go too deep into Beca's relationship with her father right now. She had already gotten the DJ to open up to her more than she could've hoped for. That would do for now.

Beca seemed to think the same as she changed the subject.

"Let's move on to more fun things. When's the next session?"

Chloe smiled at the DJ's newly found enthusiasm.

"Look who's excited now! I thought we originally scheduled it for Monday afternoon. You still okay with that?"

Beca grabbed her phone from the table and went through her calendar. She gave Chloe an apologetic smile.

"I'm supposed to spend the entire Monday at the studio. I have someone coming in who I'm collaborating with on my album and Monday was the only date we could agree on next week."

Chloe felt a bit disappointed that the DJ had to reschedule their meeting but she didn't let it show.

"Well I guess we have to reschedule then if-"

She was cut short by Beca who realized Chloe had misunderstood her.

"We can still meet on Monday but you'd have to come down for our session. There are a couple of meeting rooms we can use if you just bring the equipment with you. I have to be there for the day but it doesn't mean I can't take a 30 minute break in between," Beca explained and was relieved to hear Chloe agree with the plan.

Then Beca remembered she had something for Chloe. She asked the redhead to wait in the living room while she went to get it. Chloe felt curious when she saw the DJ return with an envelope in her hand.

Beca sat down and looked at Chloe who was now eyeing the envelope.

"I'm really sorry for what happened on Thursday. I still think I owe you more than an apology so I got you these."

As Beca spoke she handed Chloe the envelope which the redhead eagerly took and opened. There were two V.I.P. tickets to Beca's next gig. Opening act would be delivered by Fat Amy, one of the best up and coming stand-up comedians in Hollywood. She was also one of Chloe's favorite comedians.

"It's not much but I figured it might be good for you to see with your own eyes how my life is like. Gives you a better idea of my lifestyle choices. Bring Aubrey with you. It will be fun."

"Shut the front door! I thought this gig was sold out months ago!" Chloe squealed in excitement as she looked incredulously at Beca.

Beca smiled full-heartedly at the ginger's excitement.

"It was but I managed to talk them into giving me some free tickets to give out. It's my gig anyway," she chuckled.

"Thank you so much. I'll ask Aubrey but I'm pretty sure she's free."

Beca smiled widely as it sunk in that Chloe had accepted.

"So that's a yes?"

"It's a yes."

Chloe grinned back in excitement as she looked at the tickets in her hand again. She would've never thought in a million years that one day she would be going to a gig of the famous DJ Beca Mitchell. Working for a recording artist clearly had its perks.

Beca fiddled with her shirt sleeve as she inquired carefully:

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

Chloe pursed her lips thoughtfully before she grinned at the cautious looking brunette.

"It's a start. We'll keep working on it on Monday."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Once again thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites and my sincerest apologies for taking so long with this chapter. It's that time of the year again when exam stress really kicks in. In this chapter Chloe meets Beca at the recording studio. Nothing major - yet... ;) I've already written the bulk of the next chapter, hopefully I'll be able to finish it soon. You make writing worth while so keep reading and reviewing. **

Chapter 10.

Chloe felt many eyes on her as she stepped into the reception area of Beca's record label. She was wearing her usual training clothes, running tights and a crop sports top that left her trimmed midsection bare for much to other people's delight. Chloe quickly pulled on the hoodie she had brought as she approached the reception desk. She hadn't expected everyone to look so _corporate. _This was a creative industry after all. Chloe felt even more out of place when the very beautiful model-looking receptionist sized her up from head to toe, her gaze stopping at the yoga mat the redheaded trainer was carrying. The receptionist smiled a friendly smile when she pointed at Chloe's yoga mat and winked at the redhead.

"I think you're in the wrong place. The gym is right next door. We're a different kind of business."

Chloe returned the smile although it felt a bit forced.

"Actually I'm here to train someone. My name is Chloe Beale."

The receptionist looked thoroughly surprised as she clicked through the appointment calendar on her computer screen.

"For who might that be?"

Chloe sighed. Beca had told her they knew she was coming.

"It's for Beca Mitchell."

The receptionist clicked through the records in a quick pace.

"We were supposed to meet at 1pm," Chloe huffed as she leaned on the desk, becoming frustrated now.

"The only record I can find is that there's an appointment booked for HNIB with Beca Mitchell at 1pm today."

"Well that must be it. She told me she hasn't got any other appointments booked for today."

The receptionist smiled apologetically as she picked up the phone from her desk.

"Let me just double-check with the recording studio."

Chloe could only nod as she wondered why nothing ever seemed to be simple when it came to Beca Mitchell.

"Hey, it's Annabelle calling from the reception. I have a Chloe Beale here. She's here for a training session with Beca. I've only got an appointment for HNIB with Beca at 1pm in the system."

Soon the receptionist, now identified as Annabelle giggled and placed a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggle. She glanced at Chloe again, this time eyeing her slowly up and down and then nodding. Chloe had no idea what was going on but she felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Annabelle nodded again.

"Yeah, fits the bill. I'll send her over. Thanks."

She placed the phone down and grinned at Chloe who felt like blushing now.

"Looks like Beca had the appointment under Hottest Name In the Business. I can't really argue against that. Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right until you reach the studio."

Now Chloe was blushing. She mumbled her thanks as she couldn't spare a grin at the smiling receptionist anymore. She reached the elevators without lifting her gaze from the floor and waited to reach inside the elevator to close her eyes and release the breath she'd been holding.

Beca had told her to meet in the kitchen area of the studio. Chloe felt relieved to find that the doors had labels on them so she was able to find the kitchen without further delay. Chloe entered the room and closed the door behind her. She took in her surroundings. It was a modern, spacious kitchen full of light. Beca was nowhere to be seen so Chloe took a seat on one of the stools next to the kitchen island in the middle.

This was the first session back since their little feud a few days ago. Chloe felt extremely grateful that the DJ had decided to trust her enough to let her in her past. It had brought up a whole another side of the private DJ. Chloe was pretty sure she was one of the very few people with whom Beca had trusted her story. Getting Beca to tell her the real reason behind her behavior had cleared the air between them much. Chloe wanted to believe that any disputes like this would be a thing of the past. Now hopefully they would be able to concentrate fully on achieving the goals they had set at the beginning of their contract. Today marked a beginning of a new stage in their co-operation as some big hurdles had now been cleared out of the way.

Chloe was expecting to see a different Beca, committed and focused working tirelessly towards her fitness goals, just as hard as she worked in her music career. This time they didn't get off to a great start though as Beca was already almost ten minutes late. Chloe knew for a fact the DJ knew how much she hated tardiness.

The redhead was about to take a second sip of her bottle when she heard the kitchen door open and turned instinctively in her stool. She was half way of lifting her bottle to her lips when her hand just stopped. Her thoughts about Beca being late were pushed somewhere in the very back of her mind as she stared at the door.

Chloe would've recognized the famous singer anywhere. Ke$ha of all people had entered in the kitchen. As the singer greeted and walked over Chloe could just stare in awe. Chloe had to tell herself not to hang her mouth open like an idiot. She was starstruck. Her list of people who she would just casually run into definitely didn't really include Ke$ha.

The blonde singer was the first to speak as it was clear Chloe couldn't get as much as a word out of her mouth.

"You're Chloe right? Beca's trainer?"

"Mhmm." Chloe nodded and tried not to look too surprised that the singer remembered her name. _You can do better than this Beale_. _Just don't ask for an autograph. Please don't._

Ke$ha grinned now as she observed Chloe go from sitting completely at ease in her stool to flustered in only few seconds.

"Did Beca mention that I'm a fan of your skating?"

Chloe taken aback by the words. Had Ke$ha just complimented her skating for real? _Ke$ha? _She racked her brain for everything she knew about the singer standing in front of her. Funny enough her mind filled with a picture of Beca snickering into her phone while the two artists exchanged experiences about personal trainers and a whole lot of other stuff that Chloe still didn't think she was supposed to hear.

Chloe cleared her throat as she fought hard to come up with audible reply this time.

"She did. I'm honored to hear that. Did I mention I'm a big fan of your music?" Chloe offered back. As lame as it sounded Chloe really liked Ke$ha's music. Lot of the songs made great workout music. She told as much to the blonde.

Ke$ha looked taken aback.

"Aww thanks. You sound like you mean it." Chloe settled for a light chuckle.

"I do. I usually mean what I say."

"You're rare quality then. Not a lot of people in this city are so genuine. I can see now why Beca likes you."

Chloe tried not to cipher anything into the singer's words. Liking could mean so many things. Something the singer said reminded Chloe of why she was here in the first place.

"Speaking of Beca, do you know where she is? We were supposed to meet like 15 minutes ago."

Ke$ha chuckled as she took a seat next to Chloe.

"She also told you're always on time."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you two spend a lot of time talking about me because it sure sounds like it?"

Ke$ha chuckled again.

"She's running a bit late recording the song we're doing together for her album. We've been working on it for hours already. It's just in Beca's nature not to leave things halfway if she can avoid it. She asked me to come here to keep you watch for you while she finishes up."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the last sentence.

"Well so far you're doing a very good job."

Ke$ha nodded and then clasped her hands together, grinning.

"So what kind of exercise are you going to torture her with today?"

"Torture? Is that what she told you?"

"She might've used the word a couple of times…" Ke$ha grinned.

Chloe didn't have time to think for a response because at that moment the door to the kitchen flew open again. This time it was Beca who came in, also dressed in her training clothes. She looked a bit tired but smiled at the two women in the kitchen.

"Sorry I'm late. We're finished with the first part now. You two enjoying yourselves here?" The DJ queried as she stepped further in the kitchen.

"Just talking about you," Chloe replied truthfully as Beca walked next to her and yawned. Chloe thought Beca looked quite adorable when she was tired and the feeling of irritation about Beca being late slowly washed off. How could she be mad when the petite brunette reminded her of a tired, cute kitten? She had a sudden impulse of patting Beca on the head but she decided against it on the last minute. Where was all this affection stemming from? Chloe travelled somewhere so far away in her thoughts that she almost jumped when she felt Beca press her head on Chloe's shoulder and mutter.

"All good I hope."

"Oh you know, just the usual." It was Ke$ha who spoke now and wiggled her eyebrows at Beca. The petite DJ lifted her head from Chloe's shoulder and stuck out her tongue at the singer.

Chloe was intrigued by the exchange between the two stars as she vividly remembered the phone call Beca had made to the singer at their first meeting. She looked for any signs of 'more than friends' vibes but felt relieved when she couldn't find any. Chloe surprised herself by how strongly her body seemed to go from tensed to relaxed at the result. She was glad when Beca finally told her they could begin their session.

The two women left the room and a grinning Ke$ha behind and went into a meeting room next to the kitchen. The tables and chairs that usually occupied the room were now piled away on the walls so there was enough space in the middle to perform the exercises.

They started with some light warm-up exercises as they casually discussed how the recording was going and if Beca had finished the song she'd been working on earlier. Beca confessed she was pretty stressed out because of the recording process. It was only her second studio album but she felt there was a lot of pressure on her because her first album had been such a success. Beca told Chloe that she expected a lot from herself since she wanted to prove that she had developed as an artist after her first album.

After the warm-up they moved into doing core endurance.

"Is this the way you got your abs?" Beca queried as she lay on her back on the floor and did the exercise Chloe had demonstrated a few minutes earlier.

"This and 15 years of figure skating training. In the end it all boils down to engaging your core as well as training the different parts of your abs. For example in this exercise we're doing now it's your core muscles underneath doing the body of work. Can you feel it?"

As Chloe spoke she placed her hand on Beca's stomach to feel if the brunette was doing the exercise correctly. Beca fell silent and felt slightly flushed as Chloe didn't lift her hand off her stomach right away but rather kept it there while Beca repeated the exercise.

After a while Chloe quirked an eyebrow as Beca kept working.

"Are you sure you're engaging your core? I can feel you your abs work but I'm not sure how engaged your core is."

Beca let out a frustrated laugh as she took a break and leaned back on her elbows.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong here."

"Just try again and this time really think about working your core when you do the exercise. Don't forget to breathe. Exhale when you go up and breath in when you come down."

Beca nodded and let out a breath she'd been holding.

Chloe placed her hand on Beca's stomach again and smiled encouragingly at the brunette.

Beca closed her eyes for a moment to focus and then repeated the exercise. After a few reps a full-fledged smile spread across her features as she could feel the difference. Chloe had totally changed the exercise for her with just a few words. In Beca's eyes that was like magic. Chloe had to blink couple of times as the radiation of Beca's smile sent a rush of heat through her own abdomen even though she wasn't even the one exercising. Chloe was suddenly glad she was kneeling down as she might've ended up on her knees from the sheer power of the smile she received. Suddenly Choe had to remind herself to exhale and inhale to slow down her heartbeat that had picked up without warning.

Chloe finally lifted her hand off the brunette's stomach and cleared her throat, her voice quivering only slightly.

"Alright, I think you've got the hang of it. Eight more reps and you're done."

Beca did as she was told even though the last repetitions were almost impossible. It was for Chloe's firm voice telling her to finish the set that Beca managed to push through. As Beca lay on the floor with every bit of her abdominals burning from the exercise she was positive there was no way she could've managed this lifestyle change by herself. If it wasn't for Chloe telling her to use the last bit of her strength Beca would've happily stayed in her comfort zone. There was no question about that.

"Way to go Beca. You really nailed it with those last reps!" Chloe had only meant to pat Beca on the shoulder but for some reason her hand slipped lower to pat Beca's abs instead. Chloe cursed for the lack of control she seemed to have near the DJ and removed her hand immediately after the contact.

It was a different story to feel her client's abs to see if she did the exercise correctly but this was surely not necessary. Chloe hoped in vain that Beca wouldn't call her on that but this was simply too good of a chance for the DJ to miss.

"You can't keep your hands off me can you?" Beca grinned at the uneasy redhead as she sat up. Chloe closed her eyes and wished that she would've suddenly gained a power to turn invisible. Her wish was never granted. There was no way of playing off the DJ's comment after her actions.

"I think you should feel how _engaged _my core is now when I'm just talking to you. I can feel it deep down right here…" The DJ teased as she placed both of her hands on her lower abdominal. Beca grinned wickedly as Chloe's face went bright pink. The redhead stood up abruptly.

"And we're done for today." She chirped with a voice that was a lot higher than her normal speaking voice.

Beca stood up as well, with a smug smile plastered across her features.

"Only if you say so. I really liked that session. Very hands on…"

Chloe found it hard to regain her composure but she tried. There was no hope of a witty comeback though. Today clearly wasn't her day. But as Chloe reminded herself as in figure skating no medals were given out after the short program. It was the free skating that would determine the final ranking of the skater. Beca had a good start today but Chloe was ready to up her game when the chance came. Just not today.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"Thanks for coming down today. I know it took some extra arranging on your side."

"I'm just doing my job," Chloe stated as by now she had managed to steady her breathing.

"Oh you're doing more than that. I'm really lucky to have you kick my butt," Beca grinned as she nudged Chloe on the shoulder.

"Thanks Beca. It means a lot to me to hear you say that. I really enjoy kicking your butt," Chloe smiled. It was unbelievable how fast she went from feeling uneasy to feeling at ease with Beca. It was real rollercoaster ride with the star. A voice from the door interrupted them.

"If you two are done gazing in each other's eyes Beca and I've got some work to do."

The trainer and her client turned their heads to see a grinning Ke$ha at the door. Chloe blushed furiously when the singer winked at her. Then the blonde singer turned her attention to Beca. She walked closer and whispered into the brunette's ear so that only Beca could hear her words.

"Control your ladyboner!" With that Ke$ha turned on her heel and waved her hand in the air theatrically as she left the room.

"Don't keep me waiting Mitchell!"

Beca coughed as she stared at the wall instead of Chloe. She would be sure to give her singer friend hell later. There was a moment of silence when Beca mustered the courage to say her next words. Ke$ha had shaken the confidence she had felt only a few minutes ago. In an instant Beca, queen of flirting was replaced with Beca, queen of babble.

"I should probably go. If you want to you can come and watch us work for a few minutes. I still feel kinda bad about what happened on Thursday so I thought you might enjoy this. I mean I don't want to sound self-centered or anything. I just thought you said this is your first time in a recording studio so- "

Beca felt Chloe's hand on her arm as the redhead interrupted her rant.

"I'd love to."

It was Beca's turn to draw breath now as she nodded, relieved.

"Follow me."

Chloe followed Beca into the control room of the studio. A massive mixing desk with about zillion different buttons and computer screens faced the studio behind a glass wall. In front of the desk sat a guy with dark brown hair and brown eyes dressed in a maroon hoodie and black jeans. When they entered the room he turned around in his chair and offered a lopsided smile.

Beca made the necessary introductions.

"Chloe, this is Bumper, my producer. Bumper, this is Chloe. She's going to stay and watch for a while. She won't be any trouble."

Bumper nodded her head at Chloe and winked at Beca.

"Sure thing boss. You want to get in there before Ke$ha decides to break something? You shouldn't keep her waiting."

Beca chuckled at the comment and then turned to Chloe.

"You can stay as long as you like."

"Yeah I won't be long because I have another session in an hour. "

"You know not a lot of people outside these walls haven't heard me sing so consider this a privilege," Beca dragged as she darted a flirtatious smile at Chloe.

"Well you better go and deliver then," Chloe replied with a matching wide smile.

"I'll blow your mind," Beca promised as she sent Chloe an air kiss before entering the studio.

Chloe felt shivers at Beca's last words as she watched Beca turn and leave the control room.

"That's some girlfriend you've got there," Bumper remarked as he had followed the exchange between the two.

Chloe turned to look at him and felt a bit flushed to reply.

"We're not...involved. I'm Beca's trainer."

Bumper looked genuinely surprised. The reaction made Chloe question her interaction with the DJ. Did they act like a couple?

"My bad! I just figured you two seemed to hit it off. Not to mention you're exactly her type," Bumper explained as he turned back to his mixing table.

Chloe felt her earns burn again and blush creep into her cheeks. She didn't ask but Bumper told her anyway.

"You know, hot redhead with a killer body," Bumper stated casually as he returned his eyes on the computer screen.

So Beca had a thing for redheads. Chloe found this piece of information extremely amusing. She realized she was smiling like an idiot and turned her attention to the studio. Beca hadn't sung a note yet but Chloe was already on her way to be blown away.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Read and review, all feedback is appreciated. In this chapter Beca and Chloe go ice skating. Fun fun fun. :) I'm working hard on the next chapter. In the meanwhile, enjoy chapter 11. ;)**

Chapter 11.

Beca tightened her skate laces and let out a nervous sigh while she glanced at Chloe who was sitting next to her. Her trainer seemed deep in thought and fiddled with her fingers as she waited Beca to get ready. Beca zipped her hoodie and checked her skates once more. She didn't want to admit how nervous she felt. It had been years since she'd been ice skating. Then again Beca had been the one to suggest this so she would see through it as well.

As part of making Beca feel more invested in her exercise routine Chloe had told the DJ to pick a sport for their next session. Ever since hiring Chloe as her trainer Beca had wanted to see the redhead in action one day. It had taken a phone call to Cynthia Rose to make sure Chloe wouldn't resent the idea. When Beca suggested ice skating Chloe had sounded surprised but said yes eventually.

Beca had half hoped that Chloe would turn up in one of those short dresses she'd seen Chloe wear in the YouTube videos but apparently they were mainly for competition use. Beca had to say she didn't mind the tights and formfitting sweater either the redhead was now wearing. Beca especially liked the way how Chloe wore her hair in French braids. The hairstyle made the trainer look even more adorable than usual if it was even humanly possible.

"I'm ready now," Beca finally sighed although she didn't feel like it.

Chloe nodded enthusiastically and offered to help Beca to stand up.

"Thanks, but I think I'm good as long as we're on solid ground," the DJ remarked as they made their way out of the dressing room.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll make you a skater in no time," Chloe promised as they reached the side of the rink.

"Can't blame the coaching if I suck today," Beca muttered as she mentally prepared to get on the ice. Then she felt Chloe squeeze her arm reassuringly and state firmly.

"You're not going to suck. I don't deal with suckers. Now get on that ice and show me what you've got."

Beca stepped on the ice and placed her hand on the boards for support. She felt Chloe firmly grab her other arm to support her. Beca hadn't skated for years and being on the ice after such a long break left her feeling a bit shaky.

Beca was surprised and relieved to find that she was soon able to skate without support. She was still a bit unsteady on her skates but eventually she managed without fear of falling down constantly.

Beca told Chloe to go and do her own thing while Beca would get accustomed to skating again. Beca felt like it didn't really help when Chloe was watching her every step and she told the redhead that she made her more nervous. Chloe smiled sweetly at Beca's last comment and told the DJ that that wasn't her intention so she would give her some space.

Chloe took off from Beca's side to skate laps around the rink. Beca steadied herself and took a deep breath as she focused on not falling.

Chloe had embarked on memory lane as soon as they stepped into the ice rink with Beca. All the familiar smells and sights were there. She liked being in the cool building for a change as it was always hot outside in L.A. Chloe didn't know how she would feel when she stepped on the ice as she hadn't been skating for over a year now.

It was like coming home after being gone for a long time. Her muscles seemed to remember the movement patterns and her hips and back had forgiven the strain and pain she'd put them through a few years ago. Chloe tried some simple steps and turns and felt relieved when she was still able to do them easily. She smiled widely as she moved onto trying some spins and jumps.

Chloe didn't notice that the DJ along with almost every other person at the rink had stopped to watch her skating. Chloe certainly stood out from the rest of the people at the public skate. She was inside her own familiar bubble again where only skating existed. As she finally stopped to draw breath she heard a small voice right next to her.

"Are you Chloe Beale?"

Chloe turned to see a girl no more than ten years old look at her curiously. The girl had the same shade of red hair as Chloe and her face was covered with freckles. Chloe thought the girl reminded her a great deal of the young Lindsay Lohan when she was still just a cute and innocent child actress.

"Yes I am. Who might you be?"

"I'm Morgan."

"Hi Morgan. Do you like skating?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. I want to be like you when I grow up."

Chloe smiled at the girl's comment. Morgan's expression was thoughtful when she looked at Chloe.

"Why aren't you skating anymore? You're still so good at it."

Chloe laughed as she looked at the child's expectant face.

"Good question! I'm not sure really. Today it feels like I should be skating again. I'll tell you a secret. It's just between you and me."

Chloe leaned closer and Morgan listened attentively.

"This is the first time I've been skating for a year."

Morgan looked at Chloe in awe and smiled.

"You can't really tell. You should come back. Bye Chloe." The girl then skated off to a direction where a redheaded woman was waiving at her. It must've been the girl's mother as they looked strikingly alike. Chloe experienced a flash back to her own childhood. It could've been her ten something years ago. Morgan pointed at Chloe excitedly and said something to her mother. The woman looked surprised but smiled and waved at Chloe. Chloe waved back and watched the pair leave the rink side.

Chloe inhaled the cool air in her lungs as she turned to look for Beca. She smiled widely as she found Beca skating on the other side of the rink. The DJ displayed a concentrated look on her face. As if sensing that she was being watched Beca turned and saw Chloe smile at her. She responded with an equally wide smile as she watched Chloe skate towards her.

Beca had the same sinking feeling watching Chloe approach that she had had when she watched Chloe skate on her own earlier. Anyone with eyes could tell Chloe was in her element. She belonged on ice. There was nothing better than seeing people do something they loved. For Beca however it was more than that. She was fast falling for Chloe head over heels.

Merely seeing Chloe skate closer made Beca's heart flutter against her ribcage. Beca felt her heart jump as Chloe reached her side and grabbed her arm enthusiastically. Just the feeling of the redhead pressed on her side made her giddily happy.

"Way to go Bambi," Chloe commented as she held Beca's arm.

The mere presence of the redhead made Beca's head spin. Her reply came out rather meekly.

"Don't call me that. And I'm pretty sure I'm doing better than Bambi anyway."

Chloe giggled at the flushed DJ.

"Do I still make you nervous?"

Beca let out a shaky laugh and tried to regain some of her usual poise.

"Not the slightest. It was just the beginning when I looked like Bambi on ice."

Chloe's smile was warm when she leaned closer to whisper in Beca's ear.

"Maybe you're not as shaky but you sure are as cute as Bambi on ice."

A feel of warmth spread all over Beca's body at the statement and Chloe's warm breath on her skin and she couldn't help beaming at Chloe. There had to be something seriously messed up if Beca Mitchell beamed at something or someone. She was so out of character it was unreal. And the scariest thing was that she felt okay with it. Wow. Her father would be proud of her for showing so much emotion. Beca cringed at the thought and went back to smirking.

"Thanks - I guess. You seem excited. You were just flying out there. Honestly I wondered if your feet touched the ice half of the time, it was so effortless."

"Well I did do some jumps so you're not technically wrong saying that I was flying," Chloe grinned at the DJ.

"I've always liked smart girls," Beca stated thoughtfully and earned an elbow in the ribs from Chloe.

"Ouch! What was that for? I do!"

Chloe pursed her lips.

"So should we make you a world-class figure skater then? Or we could try ice dancing."

"What's ice dancing?" Beca enquired. She was here to learn anyway.

"It's paired figure skating with dance elements in it. It's like ballroom dancing on skates."

"Well we're make good use of my two strongest athletic skills then. Skating and ballroom dancing."

Beca protected her abs as she saw Chloe's elbow twitch in her direction again.

"Sorry! Lead the way champ."

Chloe had a lot of fun teaching Beca. After getting rid of the shakiness in her skating Beca was doing great for someone who hadn't skated for years. Beca was clearly more athletic than the brunette obviously thought. As always in their sessions Chloe felt the time just flew by.

There was definitely a change in Beca's demeanor. After the nervousness at the start of their session she went back to being her witty self but there was something in the way she looked at Chloe with shining eyes that made the trainer's very core twist in knots. The glint was there in Beca's eyes for the rest of the session and Chloe had to draw deep breaths more than once to retain herself under the effect of the gaze that was constantly directed at her.

Chloe thanked Beca for choosing such a great sport for the session and expressed her contentment on the progress the DJ was making. She could already see a whole different Beca than two weeks ago already.

Chloe bade goodbye to Beca and surprised herself and the brunette when she leaned in to hug the shorter woman before they went their separate ways. It just felt like a natural thing to do after how their bonding experience a few weeks ago. It seemed that invading the DJ's personal space was becoming a bad habit for her. She waved absent mindedly at the DJ as they parted in the parking lot.

Later when Chloe sat on her car she noticed that Beca had mentioned her in a tweet.

_ ChloeBeale shows how it's done. Me next? #skatingisaworkout #somuchfun_

There was a picture of Chloe doing a jump on the background as Beca gave thumbs up and made a scared face on the front of the picture. Chloe scrolled for another picture of her and Beca standing their backs against each other, pretending to make a dramatic starting pose. It was a good picture of the two of them. Chloe's eyes trailed on their lightly touching hands. The sound of her phone ringing snapped Chloe out of her thoughts.

It was Cynthia Rose.

"Hey Cynthia."

"Hey girl, I'm glad to see you back on skates again."

"News travel fast huh? It was actually Beca's idea. I let her pick the sport today."

"Looks like you were enjoying yourselves. Your jump looked really good in the picture. If I didn't know it almost looked like you didn't have a break at all."

"Oh thanks CR. I really enjoyed it. I didn't realize how much I'd missed skating. I think I want to go again soon."

"Talking about going again…How would you feel about skating for a purpose?"

"I don't know. This is the first time I've been skating for over a year now. Why? Are you planning something?"

"There's this charity gala coming up. It's kind of a big deal and they're trying to get some big stars involved. It's all for a very good cause. Some of your former Team USA teammates have already signed up. I'm choreographing the performances. But you just got back on skates and I don't know if you would be interested anyway. I can call you back another time…"

"No it's okay. I'm listening…"

xxx

It was late when Chloe got home that night. She had been in meetings for the rest of the day and had been crazy enough to still go and do a workout of her own at the end of the day.

Chloe dropped her things on the floor and slouched to the living room where Aubrey was seated on the couch flipping through channels on their TV. Chloe flopped onto the couch next to Aubrey who finally seemed to settle on a channel.

"Perfect timing," Aubrey congratulated her friend as she turned the volume up and grinned.

"Huh?" Was all Chloe could manage as she turned her attention to the TV screen. Her eyes fixed on the dark-haired man seated behind a desk, looking at the camera. Apparently they were watching Jimmy Kimmel Live. The host effectively grabbed Chloe's attention with his next words.

_"Ladies and gentlemen my next guest is a talented artist who hit her head so hard a while ago that it led her to a complete lifestyle change. She is currently recording her second studio album. Please welcome Beca Mitchell!"_

Chloe was shocked when Beca walked out in the studio. She didn't remember the DJ mention anything about the talk show appearance. Then again it wasn't like Beca had laid out her entire schedule to Chloe. She only knew about the things that affected their workout schedule.

Beca smiled and waved at the studio audience. Chloe thought she looked amazing. Beca was wearing a midnight blue top that showed off her toned arms and black skinny jeans that hugged her thighs in all the right places. The high heels made the jeans look ridiculously good on Beca. Chloe hoped Beca would turn before sitting down so that she could see her backside. She got her wish as Beca turned her back at the audience when she hugged Jimmy. Chloe checked out Beca's behind and thought there was already a shape to it that wasn't there a couple of months ago. Beca looked so good already. Chloe could only imagine how good she would look like at the end of their 12 month contract. Chloe was nodding her head unconsciously and earned an interested look from Aubrey who couldn't help observing her friend's demeanor. She turned her attention back to the TV when they started the interview.

_"I'm good thanks Jimmy. You look good!"_

_"I must say you look amazing. I'm so glad you hit your head. I mean you've always been beautiful but there's just a whole new glow to you! Look at those arms."_

_Beca smiled at the audience and comically flexed her biceps._ Chloe giggled as she could see the barely noticeable bumps emerge on each arm when Beca did that. Super cute.

_"Not bad, huh? Thank you Jimmy! I feel so good at the moment. It was about time to make some changes."_

_"I understood you weren't a big fan of exercise before?"_

_"No I wasn't. I didn't really see it necessary but what happened a few months ago was definitely a wakeup call. I realized that I want to enjoy life to the fullest and exercising is an important part of it for sure."_

_"It sure is. So you are just working with a trainer now or how does it work?"_

_"I have a great team around me. I'm working with a trainer five times a week and with a nutritional specialist once a week. They're absolutely amazing. They really changed how I think about nutrition and exercising."_

"She's talking about us!" Chloe whispered excitedly but Aubrey shushed her as the interview continued.

_"I see they're doing a great job with you. Can you give any hints or tips to people who may be in the same situation as you were, meaning who are not engaging in exercise at the moment?"_

_"I would say that find a sport or activity that you really like. That gives you motivation. I mean my trainer has had me trying all kinds of different things. Like figure skating."_

_"Figure skating? That's an interesting one. I think we have a picture from your twitter account of you two doing some ice dancing I believe."_

"You went skating again? Why didn't you tell me?" Aubrey panned.

"It was just today. I didn't know she was going to tape this live."

_A picture emerged on the screen of Beca and Chloe doing a paired arabesque spiral. Beca laughed as she saw how high above the hip level Chloe was able to extend her leg behind her and how Beca's leg barely reached the hip level._

_"Can you tell which one of us used to be a professional figure skater?"_

_"If I understood correctly your trainer is Chloe Beale who won a silver medal in the last Olympics?"_

_Beca looked proud, almost smug when she replied. _Beca's reply made Chloe blush.

_"That's right. I've got to learn from the best Jimmy."_

_"Well you're not doing too bad yourself. That looks so hard to do. Was it hard?"_

_"I think this was the only picture we were able to take without me falling down so yeah, it was hard."_

_Beca's response made the audience laugh and the DJ laughed as well._

_"Have you enjoyed working with her?"_

_"Oh yeah. She's the tits. She's so innovative when it comes to exercising. She thinks outside the box. That's what I like about people."_

Chloe smiled at Beca's description of her. It felt heartwarming to hear someone such as Beca Mitchell to compliment her so generously.

_"Speaking of liking people. Is there anyone special in your life now? I can't help asking because there's this aura of happiness around you that I just can't ignore."_

_A full-fledged, almost a giddy smile set across Beca's features as the audience shouted and whistled. Jimmy Kimmel smiled and shrugged. _

_"They seem to think so too."_

_Beca's expression turned mysterious now as she quirked an eyebrow at the talk show host._

_A long silence ensued as Beca made no effort to comment on the statement she just smiled her trademark Cheshire grin. _The camera zoomed on the DJ's perfectly made up face and Chloe could see the glint in Beca's eyes, shining brighter than ever.

_Beca was about to lean her chin on her elbow when she was interrupted by Jimmy. _

_"Okay, we'll talk about this during the break. When we return we will talk more about Beca's lifestyle change and people who she likes or doesn't like."_

_Beca clapped her hands as she laughed and then leaned closer to say something to the host which wasn't caught on microphones anymore as the camera zoomed out and commercials started rolling in._

Chloe felt eyes on her and she turned to look at Aubrey who smiled knowingly at her best friend.

"Cute interview, right?"

"Mhmm. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Aubrey examined her nails as she stated casually:

"I'm just wondering who that special person in Beca's life might be."

Chloe refused to take the hint.

"Well you can let me know if you find out."

"Oh Chloe don't be like that. I think we both know who's sent Beca's head spinning like a figure skater doing a pirouette..."

"Are you serious? I think I've told you like a million times that what we have is a purely professional relationship."

"Oh please! But do you like Beca Mitchell? Like more than as a client? Because I'm sensing you're not telling me everything here…"

Chloe's reaction was to deny everything. How could Aubrey possibly imply there was anything going on between her and the petite DJ? It wasn't the first time when Chloe thought the blonde doctor had obtained mental powers to read her mind. Because what Aubrey was asking had occupied Chloe's thoughts for the past few weeks. Today's skating session and Beca's behavior had just confirmed that there was something more behind their normal teasing and flirting. Chloe wasn't ready to admit it though. She would not blow up the biggest contract of her career by admitting she had feelings for her client. That simply wouldn't do.

"Of course not! And besides that's not the point. She's my client. I'm being professional about this. I'm not going to be one of those personal trainers who start a relationship their client. It's unprofessional, unethical and will be bad for my career. We went over this before!"

When Chloe faced Aubrey's eyes she knew she hadn't done a really good job in dodging the question. Chloe wished the blonde would drop the whole thing. Aubrey however wasn't having any of that.

"Can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me you don't have any other than professional feelings towards Beca Mitchell?"

Aubrey sure knew how to corner people, Chloe thought. Aubrey barely saw it as her duty being Chloe's best friend. She knew Chloe was hiding something from her and it had most certainly something to do with their DJ client.

Chloe braced herself as she met Aubrey's eyes.

"I don't have…I don't have feelings for Beca," She faltered with her words as she knew she was lying the moment they left her lips.

Aubrey shook her head slowly as her eyes drilled on Chloe's.

"If you say so it must be true. If you don't have feelings for Beca then you're free to see other people, right?"

"Right," Chloe replied unconvincingly. Where was Aubrey going with this?

The blonde went back to checking her nails to let her words really sink in before her final blow. She'd got the idea earlier that week. Aubrey thought she had only Chloe's best interests at heart. If the redhead denied being attracted to Beca Mitchell this was just supposed to help her go one way or the other about the situation.

"So you wouldn't mind if I'd set you up for a date?"

Chloe's reaction was expected. Aubrey could only see pure shock splash across her ginger friend's features.

"You what? With whom?"

"I have a colleague at work, Jessica. She's this totally gorgeous cardiologist who does triathlon so you two probably have a lot to talk about. She's single and I'm sure you'd get along great. Especially since you're not interested in anyone at the moment…"

Chloe knew she couldn't really decline or she would have to retract everything she'd just said and admit something she was nowhere near admitting even to herself, let alone out loud to her best friend.

Aubrey didn't give her friend much time to digest as she grabbed her phone from the table and darted Chloe a devilish smile.

"We could call her right now."

Chloe was between rock and stone.

"Do it," she stated firmly, not letting it in her voice how her gut twisted painfully from the thought of going on a date with someone else than Beca.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. As for future chapters it might be a couple of weeks before I'm able to post again. But not to worry. I will. Eventually. Reviews are welcomed with open arms. Thank you for reading my story and thank you for all the follows and favorites. I'm humbled by the interest you're showing towards the story. **

Chapter 12.

Beca should've known better than going to the after party after the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live. She already felt a tingling feeling of soreness in her throat when she had her first glass of champagne and it seemed to only get worse when the night went on. Staying up late didn't do any good for Beca as the cold that had been just waiting to take over was now doing exactly that.

The next morning the DJ woke up her nose was blocked like never before and she felt like she'd been run over by a bulldozer. Beca groaned and burrowed her face in the pillow when she remembered she was supposed to meet Aubrey for a nutrition session in an hour. The blonde wouldn't jump up and down from joy if Beca cancelled their meeting less than an hour before it was supposed to take place. Beca told herself to pull herself together. It was too late to cancel anyway without having the blonde go ballistics. Beca had some breakfast and pulled on a fresh set of clothes before heading down to the hospital where Aubrey worked.

"Hey," Beca greeted with as much enthusiasm she could muster as she opened the door to Aubrey's office. She looked the blonde doctor in the eye and plastered a smile on her face. She had just a cold, no big deal. Maybe Aubrey wouldn't even notice. Okay, that was wishful thinking.

Aubrey stood up from her chair as Beca entered and frowned at the brunette when Beca sat down. Beca felt uneasy under the blonde's scrutinizing gaze. Maybe she wasn't putting as good of an act as she thought she was. As on cue Beca's nose started to run again so she reached for a tissue in her pocket and blew her nose on it loudly. Quicker than she thought was possible the blonde doctor had pulled on a pair of surgical gloves, stood next to her and yanked her head back. Beca felt the need to protest on the rate the blonde was going.

"Hey, what-?"

"Open your mouth. Say ahh." Aubrey instructed as she held Beca's head back and stuck a wooden stick in Beca's mouth to hold the DJ's tongue down.

"Waith, whath are you-?"

Aubrey had no patience for Beca. She was on a mission.

"Just do what I say Mitchell and shut up."

Beca had no option but to obey and she sat in silence as Aubrey examined her throat. Finally the blonde doctor pursed her lips and announced victoriously,

"I knew it. Your throat is sore and I bet your cheeks ache don't they?"

Aubrey threw out the gloves and returned to her desk where she started typing on her computer. Beca didn't know if she should feel happy or concerned about Aubrey taking such a pleasure of diagnosing her cold.

"How did you know? I was here less than five minutes."

Aubrey rolled her eyes from behind her desk and pointed at the framed diplomas on the wall.

"I am a doctor. But in your case a five-year old could've probably diagnosed you have an upper respiratory tract infection. Your tonsils are all red and I'm not even going to begin with your nose. How long has this been going on?"

Beca rolled her eyes in return and ignored the last question.

"Well what am I paying you for then? Shouldn't you like go all Gregory House on me or something? And I thought you're a nutrition specialist, not a, erm… throat doctor."

"For your information the word is _respiratory _specialist and I may have specialized in nutrition but I couldn't really call myself a doctor if I didn't know a good old-fashioned cold when it practically spits me in the face. Now if you're done with your rant I will prescribe you some antibiotics and send you home. No working or exercising for a week."

Beca wanted to yell in frustration. How was she supposed to take a one-week break in the middle of something that was proving to be the busiest time of the year for her? A week off because of a cold? That was ridiculous!

"But this only started yesterday! What if it goes away in couple of days? Don't you think a week is a bit excessive?"

Aubrey just shook her head. She could see the brunette wasn't happy with her decision. It wasn't that surprising that Beca was sick now when Aubrey thought about the ridiculously busy schedule the DJ seemed to have gone through during the past month. Beca's life was revolved around recording the album while doing gigs, interviews and meeting Aubrey and Chloe multiple times a week for exercise and nutrition advice. Beca's body was signaling that a break was in order.

"Beca, I know you're under a lot of stress because of your work and everything else. When you're really stressed your body's defense mechanisms go down and you're in a bigger risk of catching something like a cold. And you happened to get one. I can assure you that if you don't take care of this now it might go on for months in the worst case scenario. I wouldn't want that and I know you don't want that either. If it gets better faster, which I really doubt, we'll reassess your need for time off."

Beca of course didn't see it that way. She'd never taken time off from her music for something like a cold.

"But-"

Aubrey's eyes shot daggers as she let more authority in her voice.

"There's no but. You either rest it off now or you might risk your next gig. What is it going to be?"

Beca thought about it for a second. As much as she hated to admit it the blonde was probably right. She would call Bumper and the rest of her team and tell them they needed to change the schedule. They would manage somehow. Fortunately a set date for the record to come out was yet to be determined. She could have the album drop a week later if needed. Luke probably wouldn't be too happy to hear the news but then again he wouldn't want Beca working when she was sick if it could be avoided.

Beca thought about the other part Aubrey had mentioned. No exercising for a week meant not seeing Chloe for a week. A whole week without seeing Chloe when they usually met three to five times a week? That sucked. Beca didn't realize she had spoken some words aloud before she heard Aubrey respond.

"What about Chloe?

"I'll let Chloe know. I know she wants you to get well too. Now you need to get home and go straight to bed. Don't do anything stupid, just rest. I'll check in with you how you're doing later on."

xxx

_Almost two weeks later_

Aubrey was helping Chloe get ready for her date with Jessica. Aubrey had to admit she hadn't expected to go through her plan. Either Chloe was too thick headed to admit her ladyboner for Beca or then she was ready to look into some other options. Aubrey guessed the first. They hadn't touched the subject since their conversation two weeks ago and most likely wouldn't discuss it tonight either. The conversation was flowing freely and Aubrey didn't mean to ruin it by mentioning Chloe and Beca Mitchell in the same sentence.

"And then just I found myself telling Cynthia Rose that I would do the charity gala. She talked me into it in less than half an hour! I'm so excited and scared at the same time. The gala's in six months!"

Aubrey didn't miss the sheer excitement in the redhead's voice. Aubrey smiled at the light that ignited in Chloe's bright blue eyes when she talked about skating again. The blonde doctor hadn't realized before how much Chloe actually seemed to miss figure skating. They didn't touch the subject very often as Chloe usually chose to discuss most of the sports related matters with Cynthia Rose. It was only natural as the two had worked together for so many years in Chloe's career. Seeing her friend so happy was something of which Aubrey was very pleased and happy. She knew Chloe hadn't had the ending to her career that she wanted and had taken the break from figure skating to get over it. The fact that Chloe had agreed to appear in the charity ice skating gala was sure to give the redhead some extra boost in her routine-like life. Who knew, maybe she would even consider doing more ice shows if the gala went well. Aubrey knew Chloe would always have a place for figure skating in her heart and although her personal training career had picked up nicely there was no reason why she couldn't combine the two if she wished.

"Did you say which charity is it for?"

Chloe beamed at her best friend.

"It's this charity called Love is louder. It's a charity that deals with bullying, negative self-image, discrimination, loneliness and depression. All the proceeds of the gala go into supporting their nationwide campaign. Cynthia Rose told me the charity was founded by this Hollywood actress and some other parties. I always forget her name. Brittany something…"

The name 'Brittany' didn't seem to ring a bell with Aubrey either so Chloe tried another way. Her next words came out more as a mumble.

"You know, the actress that you always say kind of looks like me…"

Aubrey's face lightened up.

"Oh you mean your twin-separated-at-birth Brittany Snow?"

"Oh c'mon we don't look that much like. Brittany Snow. I should remember that by now. I'm pretty sure I'll meet her at some point."

Aubrey just sighed and reached for her phone.

"Chloe I'm telling you it will be like Katy Perry - Zooey Deschanel all over again. You two look ridiculously alike. For real."

Aubrey showed Chloe the results of her image search. Chloe just shrugged it off.

"I don't know. Sure she's got the same shade of blue eyes as I do but her hair is short and blonde and she's got a different build than I have. She's tiny."

"Whatever twin. I'm sure you'll create some confusion at one point. Are you going to be appearing in any of the posters for the event or anything? You should totally do a poster with her!"

A slight shade of pink colored the redhead's cheeks. She took a deep breath before looking at Aubrey again.

"Apparently apart from promoting the charity they're going to market it as 'Return of the American Sweetheart' to draw more crowd. I already told Cynthia Rose that I'm not sure how I feel about having a giant billboard with my picture and that phrase to go with it but it seems there's no stopping these marketing people. They're not going to change their plans just because I'm feeling embarrassed by seeing my face all over Los Angeles."

Aubrey squealed in excitement before she could stop herself. Chloe cringed at the blonde's high pitched voice. That voice could cut through glass.

"First of all wow. That is one awesome piece of news! Second, weren't you already a poster child at the time of the Olympics couple years ago? I remember seeing you in TV adverts for Team USA and stuff. How is this time so different? You're just going to see one familiar-looking face around the city for a couple of months. No biggie."

Chloe sighed as her shoulders slumped a bit. Her smile was almost sad.

"Everything is different. I've had a break. If the gala is being marketed as my comeback, people expect certain things. I expect certain things from myself. I have to deliver a memorable performance to get their money's worth. I don't want to let people down." _This time, _Chloe added quietly in her mind as she thought back to the events two years ago.

The Winter Olympics had returned to home soil after a long time. Chloe was featured as one of the athletes 'going for gold' in the home Olympics but ended up crashing that dream for both the general public and herself. Gold had been the only color for her. When she announced her retirement after the Games it had been easier to state that the main reason was the number and severity of injuries she'd suffered throughout her career. Deep down Chloe and the people closest to her knew that it had been too tough emotionally to bounce back from the debacle of the Olympic Winter Games.

"Chloe that was two years ago. Isn't it time to put that behind you already? Everyone knows that you were robbed of that gold medal. Now it's time for a fresh start. It's a new dawn, a new day and a new life."

Chloe felt a big smile spread across her features.

"You're the best."

"That's more like it. You'll be fine. There's still plenty of time to practice. I know you're going to be ah-mazing," Aubrey assured her friend.

Aubrey then checked her watch as she had no idea of the time. They were still good on time. She wouldn't let Chloe be late for her date with Jessica.

"You look really nice," Aubrey commented as she watched Chloe put her earrings on.

"Oh this is just something I threw on," Chloe replied modestly as she turned around one last time to check her appearance from the mirror. She still had mixed feelings about this evening. Ever since agreeing on this date two weeks ago her DJ client seemed to occupy more of her thoughts than her other clients in total. That was even though she hadn't seen the petite brunette in person for over a week as Beca had been sick with flu. Chloe felt sympathetic towards the DJ because she knew under how much pressure Beca was now that every day was supposed to count towards the release of her second studio album. It was really the worst time to get sick for Beca Mitchell. Not to mention her gig with Fat Amy was to take place in a week. Chloe must admit she had selfish thoughts about getting the brunette back on track and healthy again as she really wanted to see Beca's gig and witness the DJ in her element. That wasn't even mentioning the chance to get to see Beca outside their training sessions and for Chloe to go on a proper night out for the first time in months.

Tonight was another opportunity for the redhead to do something out of her weekly routine as Chloe was heading out on a date with Aubrey's colleague Jessica. Chloe still didn't feel too happy about the way her best friend had roped her into it but Aubrey didn't really leave her any choice. After riddling with guilt for two days after the date had been confirmed Chloe had decided that no matter what she was going to at least try and enjoy this night. It would provide a much welcomed distraction on her Beca Mitchell consumed thoughts of late. Besides this Jessica really sounded like an interesting person. Chloe couldn't but feel curious about a woman who successfully balanced her passion for sport and the demands of a professional career. They should compare notes.

Chloe was also determined to show Aubrey she was trying and based on the blonde's comment on her appearance she had succeeded so far.

"You don't think this skirt is too short, do you?" Chloe asked as she smoothed out her top-skirt combination.

"When you've got those legs going there isn't a skirt that would be too short for you honey," Aubrey smiled and smacked Chloe on the ass to emphasize her point.

"Ouch!"

"Seriously you could bounce a quarter off those things," Aubrey mused as she shook her hand that was still stinging from the contact.

"Maybe it's you I should take on a date after all," Chloe winked at her best friend and wiggled her backside at the blonde.

"Very funny Chloe. You're going to be late soon if you don't get going."

One glance at her watch told Chloe Aubrey was right. The redhead quickly grabbed her purse and car keys and exited the apartment after sending an air kiss to Aubrey who only rolled her eyes.

xxx

Chloe met Jessica Wright in the front of the new French restaurant, Chez Monique in downtown Los Angeles. Aubrey had described her colleague as a natural blonde beauty with a smile that would light up a room. Chloe had to say Aubrey's description rang true. Jessica was cute and Chloe could tell the blonde was nothing short of being 'Hollywood fit'. Jessica was wearing a dark red dress and high heels that left Chloe standing a bit shorter than the blonde although she was wearing high heels as well. The blonde greeted Chloe with a hand shake and leaned in for a slight brush of cheeks. Chloe returned the gesture, although a little awkwardly and then they entered the restaurant. The waiter led them to their table right away. Chloe felt a bit nervous at first as she really didn't know anything about the blonde sitting opposite to her.

It turned out Jessica was a soft-spoken, smart, career-oriented woman was very passionate about her sport and had a sense of humor that left Chloe feeling relaxed at her company.

In Chloe's current book of desirable qualities for dates or partners Jessica only had one big flaw, really. She wasn't Beca Mitchell. The way the thought washed over her like a wave just confirmed Chloe what she already knew. All the way through the date her thoughts drifted to Beca and what Beca would say or do if she was the one sitting opposite to her instead of the admittedly cute blonde. Jessica was a total catch but not for Chloe. She had a feeling they could make great friends. The thought cheered up Chloe who was able to look at their date from a different mindset right now. They could be just two friends having a dinner on a Saturday night. Chloe's thoughts drifted back to the moment at hand when Jessica began a discussion about their professional lives. They both shared some anonymous anecdotes about celebrity clients and their demands that sometimes were completely out of proportion.

"Sometimes it feels like my clients expect me to be at their service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I mean that would make sense if I was their personal pilot or chauffeur but I'm not. I have a right for personal life" Jessica mused and shook her head smiling. Chloe nodded enthusiastically.

"I couldn't agree more. It's like some people think I just sit home all day doing nothing when I'm not working with them. Usually the only time I have for sitting at home is during the weekend and even then some people have the decency to call me on my cell…"

As if on cue Chloe's phone made a loud beeping sound in her purse. The redhead realized that she'd forgotten to switch her phone off before the date.

"…some have the decency of calling my cell," Chloe repeated dumbfounded as she fished out her phone with the intention of silencing it and putting it straight back to her purse. Then she saw the words 'Beca Mitchell calling' appear on the screen.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm so sorry for taking ages to upload this. My life has been pretty hectic in the last couple of months. Hopefully I'll finish the next chapter faster but can't really guarantee anything. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I'll be back with a new chapter as soon as I possibly can. This chapter is definitely on the fluffy side...**

Chapter 13.

Beca cursed as she lay on the floor, her ankle throbbing with pain. She didn't really know much about sports injuries or their treatment and neither did most of the people she knew. She was pretty sure that whatever happened to her ankle didn't require her to call 911 but if the pain was any indicator someone should probably check the throbbing limb.

Originally Aubrey had ordered her cut all exercise for a week. It had been almost two weeks already but since Beca still showed symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in the end of the first week the blonde doctor had extended the exercise ban for another four days.

Lying in bed and doing nothing was already getting annoying especially when Beca felt she'd finally got the hang of her new exercise regimen and actually gotten into it as scary as it sounded. Beca was surprised to notice how badly she craved for any exercise that was something else than walking from her bedroom to the kitchen and back.

Trying to get back to exercising had proven to be a very bad idea so far. Aubrey would probably flip out if she heard Beca had engaged in something the doctor had classified as doing something stupid when she had ordered the brunette DJ to take a break from all exercising. Beca bit her lip worriedly as she skimmed through her options mentally.

Her throbbing ankle urged her to make a decision. At the end Beca could think of only one person to call. She reached for her phone but then hesitated. It was Saturday night. They weren't supposed to meet for a few days before the next control visit.

"Here goes nothing", Beca shrugged and dialed the number of the person she could literally trust her life with. She still hadn't changed her trainer's name from 'Hottest Name In The Business' in her phone because the name made her smile every time she saw it on her screen.

Beca listened to the dialing tone. Chloe wasn't picking up. Usually when Beca called or texted the redhead she picked up instantly. Maybe she was busy doing something else...it was Saturday night anyway. Surely even personal trainers took time off on a Saturday night.

Beca was already about to hang up when Chloe finally picked up.

"Beca, hi. Is everything okay?"

Chloe's voice was tight and Beca could hear music and people talking on the background. Chloe sounded busy.

"Is this a bad time? Am I interrupting something? A hot date perhaps?"

Beca hadn't talked to her trainer for a week since she was sick at home and Chloe had her hands full with other clients. The redhead had left her a heartwarming message on her phone though when Beca had slept through most of her days. Chloe had just simply wished Beca got better soon so that she could kick her butt in training again.

Beca had only been joking about the date part but when Chloe chuckled awkwardly Beca's eyebrows shot up all the way to her hairline. Chloe was on a date! Her brain seemed to go into overdrive from processing the information as questions started to race through her mind.

Chloe cleared her throat before speaking again.

"Um, well…Let's just say I'm not in the best possible place to talk right now. Is everything okay though? Are you feeling any better?"

Beca felt something sink deep down in the pit of her stomach. She was jealous. Chloe was on a date with someone. Chloe might have feelings towards that person. What if Chloe had been dating someone for the whole time and Beca had no idea? The idea of Chloe being involved with someone twisted her insides into a tight knot. It was quite clear to her at that point that Chloe meant more to her than just being her personal trainer. Beca clenched her fists and counted to five. Her voice trembled only a little when she delivered her next words.

"Chloe I'm so sorry for interrupting your date. I had no idea. Please go back to your date. I'll find someone who knows about ankle injuries. So enjoy your ni-"

Chloe interrupted the DJ as Beca's words sank in.

"Wait! Did you say injury? Are you injured? What happened? Are you okay?"

Beca couldn't have described in words how good it felt to hear Chloe sound so concerned about her well-being. If the fuzzy warmness that seemed to ignite inside her was any indicator there wasn't a better feeling in the world at that moment. Chloe was on a date but had still taken the time to talk to her.

"Yeah you know I was feeling really good today and I thought I'd do some light exercise so I tried those squats you showed me couple of weeks ago. You know the ones where you jump and turn 180 degrees in the air before landing. It went fine the first few times but as I got tired it got a little sloppy. In the end I landed kind of badly on my ankle and twisted it in the process. Now it hurts. A lot."

Beca heard Chloe sigh at the other end. Actually Beca did feel a bit guilty about disobeying Aubrey's orders. Beca wondered what the blonde would have said if she'd phoned her instead. Chloe might be mad as well but at least there was a slight chance she would be more understanding of Beca's craving for exercise after such a long period of inactivity. Beca grinned and shook her head when she recapped her own thoughts. Since when had two weeks been a long time to go without exercise in Beca Mitchell's life? The answer was simple. Since she had met Chloe Beale. Beca mentally prepared for preaching about starting exercise after recovering from illness but was surprised to hear Chloe ask instead:

"Is your ankle swollen? Can you stand on it? Have you iced it?"

Beca tried putting weight on the ankle but winced at the pain that immediately followed. She looked at her ankle to see if it was swollen. It didn't look like it was.

"Can't put any weight on it or if I do it hurts like hell. It doesn't seem swollen. I haven't put ice on it. Should I? I don't know really anything about sports injuries to be honest."

"If it happened just now you should definitely put some ice on it. But not on bare skin! You also need to apply a compression and lift the ankle above your heart level. Have you heard of R.I.C.E?"

Beca stood up and balanced on her right leg as left was the one she had twisted earlier.

"Sounds vaguely familiar. I'm on my way to get some ice from the kitchen." She hopped with one leg while she held the phone to her ear to listen to further instructions.

"Is there anyone at your house who could help you? I don't want you risking any extra damage trying to maneuver with that ankle around your house more than necessary. Don't you have an assistant?"

"Unfortunately I had to let my assistant go and haven't gotten around on hiring a new one yet so it's just me here."

Beca could hear Chloe making a quiet 'oh' sound but the redhead didn't press on the issue.

"Okay then. Let me know when you've got the ice. Do you have something to use as compression? Like elastic bandage you could tie around your ankle? Have you got a first aid kit at hand?"

"I've got the ice. On my way to get the first aid kit… Ouch! Shit that hurt!" Beca went crashing down on the floor when her feet got tangled with the carpet.

"What was that noise? You there? Beca?!"

Beca winced and blew air out of her mouth.

"I'm fine. Just fell down on my way to get the kit."

Beca grabbed the kit and noticed now that she didn't hear the background noise on the phone anymore. It was quiet for a while and then it sounded like Chloe was somewhere outside. Beca could've sworn she heard cars drive by.

"I got the kit and the ice. I'm in the living room now. What next?"

"Can you put the ice on the spot where it hurts the most and then tie the bandage tightly around the ice bag?"

Beca put Chloe on speaker while she did as she was told. Beca looked at her handwork and wondered if it was anywhere close to what it should look like. Before starting her co-operation with Chloe sports injuries hadn't exactly been something she would think about on a regular basis.

"Done. And then?"

"Get to the couch. Lie down your back on the floor and lift your leg on the couch. Your leg should be above your heart level."

A few grunts later Beca managed to lie down.

"I'm laying down now. Anything else?"

There was a pause and a sound of a car door open and close. Then she heard Chloe's firm voice.

"Stay where you are and don't move. I'll be there in 20."

Somewhere deep down Beca had hoped that Chloe would come for rescue but not in a million years did she expect the redhead to do just that. The warm fuzzy feeling inside her grew by the minute. Before she was completely over the moon and out of rational thinking Beca at least wanted to show Chloe she wasn't specifically asking Chloe to abandon her date where ever they might be because of a client trouble.

"Don't leave on my account. I'm sure my ankle will be just fine with your instructions. I can call you later and ask for more instructions."

Chloe huffed at the other end.

"Too late for that. I already left. I'm coming over. I'm not so sure you've got this under control Mitchell.

Beca chuckled at the last comment. She wasn't so sure either.

"You might be right. What did you tell your date though?"

Beca heard her trainer sigh on the other end in a way that could be interpreted in so many ways. The pressing question for Beca was whether Chloe was doing this because of a sense of duty or because she cared more for Beca's wellbeing than continuing her date. Nevertheless Chloe had decided to diverge from her original plan of Saturday night dating.

After a longish pause the redhead just simply said.

"Client emergency. Now, can you give me the door code and then I'll hang up. It will take me a lot longer if I get pulled over for talking on the phone while driving."

"I'll text you the code. See you in a few."

Beca hang up and sighed. She couldn't stop a big smile spreading across her face. Her head felt like splitting with joy. Chloe had left her Saturday night date to come to her rescue. Beca pushed aside the guilt she felt for using Chloe's compassion to rope the ginger to come into her rescue. After all she hadn't asked for Chloe to do a total 180 on her date. It was Chloe who had chosen to leave her date. Of course Beca hadn't made a really strong case for the redhead to stay where she was but…she had tried, hadn't she?

Beca closed her eyes as she felt really tired all of a sudden. What was she thinking when she thought she would be fit for exercise already?

xxx

Beca didn't know how much time had passed when she finally heard the front door open and the sound of high heels on the hardwood floor.

"Beca?" She heard Chloe call.

"Right here!"The DJ called out croakily as she stretched her arms to shake off the sleepiness that had settled on her. The ice bag against her ankle didn't feel cold anymore.

Beca felt Chloe kneel next to her. First Beca could only see a splash of red hair and smell that intoxicating perfume Chloe always wore. Beca wondered if Chloe sprayed the perfume in her hair so that when her hair moved the perfume scent would come through nicely. Beca continued her inspection.

Next her eyes moved on the generous cleavage of Chloe's top. Finally she met the redhead's eyes that stared at her intently, full of concern. Chloe must have been really worried about her if she didn't even care to comment on Beca so openly checking her out.

"Hi," Beca smiled sleepily. She felt an overjoyed thump in her chest that Chloe had come. Chloe was here to take care of her.

"Hey there champ," Chloe's voice was soft and her smile sent tingles down Beca's body.

When the redhead placed her hand on Beca's forehead the DJ couldn't help snorting.

"It was my ankle I hurt you know, not my head."

Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled. Beca felt like she could melt on the spot just from the sound. Like raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. _Dammit Jesse, _Beca cursed when she thought back a few days when her friend had come over to watch the Sound of Music with her. Beca didn't really care for the movie but she had been too weak to decline.

"I'm aware. You just look a bit weak that's all. I was wondering if you have fever as well."

After making up her mind that Beca didn't have fever Chloe turned to take a closer look at the brunette's ankle. The first thing the redhead did was to gently remove the elastic bandage and a bag of ice which was now mostly in liquid form.

This gave Beca the chance to take in Chloe's outfit. She wore an emerald-green top with a plunging neckline as Beca noted earlier. The redhead had paired the top with a black miniskirt that made her ass look absolutely amazing. It reached barely half thigh and offered Beca a great view from her spot on the floor. Beca's eyes traveled down from Chloe's backside to her legs and the high heels she had heard earlier. Beca could tell Chloe looked stunning despite of being kneeled down on the floor and _because_ she was kneeled down on the floor. Beca could think of another room where she would like to see Chloe in that position, preferably naked. Chloe examined her ankle in silence oblivious to the DJ's dirty thoughts.

_Lucky girl who got to go on a date with her,_ Beca thought and felt a pang of jealousy in her chest when she thought about Chloe's date.

Now that she thought about it she didn't even know if Chloe had in fact been on a date with a girl. They had never really touched the subject except that one time when Beca found out that Chloe had slept with Aubrey. That seemed to be a one-time thing though. Beca remembered how she'd immediately gotten the straight vibe from the blonde doctor at their first meeting. Chloe in her mind was harder to place though.

Sleeping with another woman didn't automatically make anyone gay. Nevertheless Beca had started to think that Chloe played for her team as their sessions went on but she didn't really have any real evidence to support her theory. Beca made a mental note to find out about Chloe's past relationships. She didn't remember reading anything from the time of the redhead's figure skating career although that didn't mean that there hadn't been a relationship. She hadn't been following her career that closely. Maybe Ke$ha would have some insight on the matter. The singer was a fan anyway.

Beca couldn't think of any gay female figure skaters. That only added to the general belief that Chloe was straight. A curious straight girl that was.

When it came to Beca's own relationships she had never let people assume anything about her. She had been much spoken about her preferences from the moment she gained name in the music industry. Serious relationships were an unexamined land for Beca however. It wasn't that she didn't meet interesting people all the time but none of those people seemed to really strike Beca as the relationship type that would be worth sticking around for.

Usually it didn't take a lot to persuade for someone to share her bed for one night but with Chloe everything seemed so different. Beca had gone from killing her prey quickly to a full-fledged chase. She had enjoyed the chase so far but slowly it was starting to eat her up. Her sprinter reflexes had been stretched to extreme. She was tired of prowling.

Finally Chloe turned to Beca with a relieved smile on her face.

"I think you haven't broken anything so that's good. I think there is some ligament damage because you feel pain but it hasn't swollen or anything and that's usually a good sign. I think it will be okay for tonight if you just keep icing it and I'll ask Aubrey to check it first thing tomorrow morning. She minored in sports medicine so I'm sure she'll be able to decide what we need to do with it. Rest for sure but for how long, I don't know."

Beca felt relieved to hear that her sudden impulse on exercising hadn't caused any worse damage and surprised to hear Aubrey's background in sports medicine. How did she miss that piece of information?

"That's good news! I'm really sorry I interrupted your date. You didn't _have to_ come you know. I honestly didn't even know Aubrey knew sports medicine that well. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered you with this."

Chloe tilted her head thoughtfully before replying.

"To be honest I didn't mind the interruption. I think she was more friendship material anyway. And the injury sounded pretty bad on the phone. Knowing how little you knew about sports injuries I think this was the best option for both of us."

Beca smirked as she registered the use of feminine pronoun and stored the piece of information for future. It was promising.

"And I thought I was the one being rescued here…"

Chloe smacked the brunette playfully on the arm before she smiled.

"It wasn't that bad! You're still the one who needed rescuing tonight. And besides the rate you're paying me, makes me _very _concerned about your wellbeing."

Beca pretended having been shot through the heart and holding her bleeding heart in place.

"I thought you cared about me and not for my money. How wrong I was to think there was anything more between us."

Chloe giggled at Beca's performance and stood up from the floor.

Beca sent a pleading look at the redhead. It wasn't that hard considering Beca was lying on the floor with a bandaged ankle. She put on her best impression of a sick child.

"Do you have to go already?"

Chloe could see through Beca's act but she couldn't help smiling at the DJ's antics. Seeing that Beca was going be okay she could afford some playing around with the DJ. Chloe locked eyes with Beca and held her gaze for a short moment.

"Are you asking me to stay?"

Beca's heart ached at the mental images that followed Chloe's words. It was a scary feeling for Beca to want something so bad that she could barely catch her breath. Chloe was oblivious to the battle that was going on in Beca's head. The redhead had expected a trademark witty comeback from the DJ but when it didn't come she wondered if she'd said something to throw Beca off.

"Is everything okay Beca? You're so silent."

Beca met Chloe's eyes again and searched for any reciprocated longing but was unable to identify what was going through the redhead's mind. Then again she wasn't the best person to read people's feelings by just staring at their eyes.

"Can you help me to bed? It's probably not a good idea to put any weight on the ankle."

Chloe kneeled down next to Beca and told the brunette to wrap her arm around her neck. Beca gladly obliged and Chloe carefully helped her to her feet. Beca stood up a bit too quickly for having been laid down for such a long time and tightened her grip around Chloe's shoulders as she made a futile attempt to regain her balance.

Chloe quickly drew her conclusions.

"Wow, easy there Beca. You don't look well. Let me carry you."

Before Beca could utter a word of protest (not that she really was going to) she felt Chloe easily pick her legs up with one arm as the other arm wrapped firmly around Beca's shoulders.

Beca placed her other arm around Chloe's neck and pointed to the direction of her bedroom.

Chloe's heels clacked a few times on the floor before they reached Beca's bedroom. Chloe laid Beca carefully on the bed and gathered some pillows that she placed under the DJ's hurt ankle.

"I'm impressed by your ability to function in heels. I would never carry anyone anywhere wearing six inch heels," Beca mused as she now lay comfortably on the bed.

"It takes practice," Chloe commented.

Beca wanted to ask if Chloe had carried someone else to bed wearing heels but she didn't think Chloe would give her a straight answer and on this hour of the night she wasn't really up for games. Beca already felt sleepy when Chloe pulled the heavy covers over the petit brunette.

"Sweet dreams Beca," Chloe whispered when she felt the DJ's breathing even out and body relax into sleep. She caressed Beca's forehead lightly before turning the lights off and leaving the room. In her sleep Beca's lips curled into a smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This was quicker than I thought. Thank you for the follows and reviews. Reviews definitely make me write faster. *wink* Add some bribing with tacos and ice cream sandwiches into the mix and here we are two weeks later! P.s. I'm slowly settling in my new life, maybe that's another reason why writing has been faster. ****Chapter 14, here you go! **

Chapter 14.

Chloe sat in her car for a long while before starting towards hers and Aubrey's apartment. It was a starry night and Chloe couldn't stop her mind from wandering into the eventful night she had had so far. She shook her head and smiled when she thought of the famous DJ who was now fast asleep in her bed. Chloe hoped Beca's ankle would get better quickly. She would feel very sad if the DJ had to cancel the much-anticipated gig with Fat Amy. Chloe sent a silent prayer to all the higher powers that might be listening. Finally she started her car and smiled happily when one of Beca's new mixes played on the radio.

Chloe got home after 11 pm that night and found a very pissed off looking Aubrey waiting for her. The smile that had been planted on her face ever since saying good night to Beca died on her lips when she faced the storming green eyes of her best friend. _Jessica_. _Shit_. _Aubrey knew. Shit shit shit._

The minute Chloe had left the restaurant she had been occupied with thoughts only about the brunette DJ. Chloe realized she hadn't even texted Jessica if she had gotten home safely and apologized again for her sudden exit. It seemed that the warm fuzzy feeling inside her disappeared altogether and was replaced with overriding guilt in a matter of seconds. Somewhere out there there was most probably a very pissed and humiliated woman who didn't think very highly of Chloe after the stunt she had pulled on their date. The idea of knowing there was a person (or two if she counted Aubrey) who were mad at her made Chloe's insides twist with guilt. _I had no choice, _she thought to herself, knowing that it was just to keep her conscience from panging with guilt.

She didn't have to wait long for the lowdown that was just about to erupt from Aubrey's lips. Chloe twisted her lips nervously when she prepared to be yelled at. She knew Aubrey had every right to do so.

"Beca decided to twist her ankle conveniently at the exact same time when you were on a date? Did you call her in advance to make the arrangement?!"

Aubrey's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she fumed at her redheaded best friend. Chloe was so shocked of the volaume of the outburst that she forgot to ask how Aubrey knew it was Beca who had caused her to make an early exit. Chloe felt her lower lip tremble when she felt that tears were only a few seconds away. She tried to fight the tears by replying to Aubrey's ridiculous accusations with as much anger as she could muster. Now wasn't a good time to break down in tears or otherwise Aubrey might make her say something she shouldn't say out loud. Because that would make it real and true, wouldn't it?

"Of course not! I had nothing to do with it! I'm sorry! Although I'm not sure if you're the person I should be apologizing to."

Aubrey took a menacing step closer with her finger accusingly pointing at Chloe.

"You're damn right about that. How could you do this to Jessica? Why didn't you call me to go and see Beca? You knew I was going to be home all night."

Chloe felt her ears and cheeks flush with shame. The truth was that calling her blonde doctor friend hadn't even crossed her mind. She had been worried sick about the DJ to even consider calling someone else to check on her star client. Chloe thought back how concerned she had felt for Beca mentioning she had been injured. Would have she reacted with the same overriding emotion if it was for any of her other clients? _No._ Her heart gave her the answer right away. Her mind however immediately went into defense mode.

"I thought she'd injured herself really badly. I knew I would get there in half the time you would've. Acting fast makes a huge difference in recovery time! Beca can't afford to take any more time off than she already has!"

Aubrey threw her hands in the air incredulously.

"What, you're like her manager now? Didn't know that was in your contract. I can't believe what I'm hearing! Two weeks ago you told me you there was only professional interest from your side. We both know you were lying back then and your actions tonight just prove my point! She wasn't going to die from ankle sprain! You went to Beca because you _wanted_ to, not because you had to!"

"That is not true! I care about my clients very much. Beca is my client but that's all!"

The statement felt foreign on Chloe's tongue. It was like saying figure skating was just a sport among other sports for her. Beca wasn't just one of her clients. She captivated Chloe in a way no other client had done before. Chloe's train of thought returned to square one. Beca Mitchell was her client.

Aubrey was furious now.

"See, you're doing it again! Do me a favor and own up to it! You can't treat people like you treated Jessica just because you're too scared to admit you're into Beca big time! Grow a pair Chloe!"

Chloe glared at her friend angrily as she spat out her next words.

"I wouldn't date Jessica anyway even if I wasn't-"

Aubrey's face was now only inches away from the ginger trainer. Her eyes shot daggers at her best friend. The tone of her voice was commanding.

"What Chloe? Even if you weren't into Beca?"

"Working with Beca," Chloe finished weakly, her anger finally wearing off and tears almost taking over. Chloe was shocked as she sniffed her tears back. She had almost let it slip that she was falling in love Beca. The thought was baffling but in her heart Chloe knew it to be true. She was falling in love with Beca Mitchell. And by the look Aubrey gave her before storming out of the room just confirmed that the blonde knew it as well. Chloe facepalmed herself hard as the tears started slowly rolling down her cheeks. Why did this have to be so damn complicated? Wasn't falling in love generally supposed to make you feel happy?

xxx

Beca was feeling great. Today marked the six month mark in her contract with Chloe. She was feeling great inside and outside and could already see new shapes to her body, which weren't there six months ago. Chloe was sitting opposite to her at one of the tables at Beca's patio. Beca couldn't help staring at the gorgeous redhead who now cleared her throat to speak.

"Today we're going to do things a little differently," Chloe explained as they sat at Beca's patio like so many times before.

Beca nodded and waited for Chloe to continue. She was getting curious.

"I'm kind of scared to do this since it's already become a tradition with all the clients I've worked with I'm not going to back out of it."

Chloe took a deep breath as she met Beca's expectant eyes.

"Today we'll be switching roles. You'll become the trainer and I'll be the client. You will plan an hour-long session and I will do the exercises. That is whatever you decide to have me do."

Beca let out an excited laugh. This would be so much fun. She rubbed her hands together and grinned wickedly at Chloe. The redhead held a hand up signaling Beca to wait.

"You have 15 minutes to plan. Before you go-"

Chloe grabbed Beca's arm as the DJ had already gotten up and gave the brunette a warning look.

"Think about what you make me go through because you can be sure that if you get me DOMS I will destroy you at our next session. I will literally swipe the floor with you."

"Understood," Beca nodded but couldn't help smiling as she sprinted toward the house to get some pen and paper. She pushed the thought of the next session with Chloe far back in her mind. She would take anything the ginger threw at her at their next session but now she just had to enjoy this moment while it lasted. _Game on!_

After ten minutes Beca emerged from the house carrying a water bottle and a yoga mat. She wore matching army green shorts and top and had her aviators placed over her eyes. She had even managed to find a camouflage cap to go with the outfit. The only thing missing from her drill sergeant outfit were combat boots. She felt smug when she saw Chloe's jaw drop and an admiring look grace the redhead's features.

Beca crossed her arms over her chest as she stared down at Chloe who was still sitting on one of the patio chairs.

"Stand up!"

Chloe stood up and saluted Beca with a very serious expression on her face. Beca began pacing back and forth in front of the alert redhead.

"Today you will be addressing me as Sergeant Mitchell or ma'am. Nothing else is acceptable. I will address you as private Beale or as I see fitting. Is that clear?"

Chloe giggled.

"Are we role-playing or doing a work out?"

"Do you have a hearing problem private Beale? It's Sergeant Mitchell or ma'am to you! Is that _clear_?"

Chloe's smile faded and she nodded firmly.

"Crystal, ma'am."

Beca kept pacing back and forth while holding the clipboard in her hands.

"Good. Now, are you ready to experience the longest hour of your life?"

"Ma'am, I was born ready, ma'am." Chloe stated confidently and met Beca's eyes.

"We'll see about that. The session starts now," Beca checked her watch and looked at Chloe.

"I need you to remove your top, shorts and shoes for the warm-up in the pool."

"How did I guess that this would come to this…" Chloe muttered as she removed the pieces of clothing and stood in front of Beca.

"What's that private?" Beca questioned.

"Nothing ma'am."

"Get in the pool then, straight to the deep end," Beca instructed as she motioned to the pool.

Chloe didn't waste time jumping right in and making a big splash that got Beca's clothes wet as well.

"Oops," Chloe smirked as she grinned at the DJ from the water.

"I will kill that smile from your face in a second. Start jogging," Beca ordered as she wiped the water drops off her face.

Chloe shrugged.

"But I don't have a belt, ma'am?"

"Who says you need a belt for aqua jogging? Chop chop, we haven't got all day!" Beca called as she clapped her hands together.

Chloe did as she was told. It was hard work just doing one length of the pool. Beca watched Chloe stop to draw breath at the other end. She made her do it two more times. Then she ordered Chloe to jump in and out of the pool more times than Chloe could count.

"You feeling warmed up?" Beca asked as Chloe emerged in the surface after jumping in the water for the nth time.

Chloe nodded as she was clearly too out of breath to talk.

"Okay, get out of the pool then!"

Chloe lifted herself effortlessly out of the pool. Beca felt her heart beat pick up instantly as she saw Chloe stand up in slow motion, dribbling wet and clad only in her sports bra and panties. Chloe was looking Beca straight in the eye as she pulled the wet hair back from her face with both hands and smirked when Beca let out an audible gulp. Beca thought Chloe bore a great resemblance to those models in the swim suit edition of Sports Illustrated. Chloe was looking at her intently, hands on her hips and an impressed smile on her face.

"That was creative Sergeant Mitchell. What's next?"

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Beca remarked as she motioned Chloe to come to the middle of the patio.

Chloe squeezed her wet hair before tying it up to a bun. She arched an eyebrow in challenge to the DJ who was observing her behind her aviators with a devilish grin on her face.

"Give me 50 burpees," Beca stated.

When Chloe was done and stood up, panting, leaning her hands on her knees Beca crouched down and snickered in her ear.

"My grandma could do 50 burpees! Give me another 50."

After another exhausting set of burpees they moved into doing weighted pushups and squats. Beca jumped on Chloe's back as the redhead did squats. Chloe was lucky Beca was such a lightweight. Next Beca retired in one of the patio chairs and placed her legs on Chloe's back when the redhead performed pushups. Beca shouted out some of Chloe's favorite exercise punch lines while the redhead worked her butt off.

"Rest is for weak people!"

"There is no glory without pain and sweat!"

The amount of repetitions was ridiculously high and Chloe had to use all her concentration to push herself enough to complete them. Beca was one merciless trainer.

Beca took a stance on the yoga mat as she smiled a Cheshire grin to Chloe who was anxiously waiting what Beca still had in store for her. When Beca explained what Chloe was supposed to do, the ginger let out a frustrated laugh.

"Really? Is this a joke What is this, 10 steamy exercises for couples?"

Beca shook her head laughing.

"This happens to be a very effective core exercise. Now jump on my lap and let's get to it."

Chloe placed her hands on Beca's shoulders and leaped to wrap her legs around Beca's waist. When the DJ nodded Chloe lowered her upper body close to the mat and performed a sit up only to arrive face to face with the smiling DJ.

"Keep your eyes up Beale," Beca huffed as Chloe's gaze wondered to Beca's breasts. Chloe lifted her eyes on Beca's.

"Eyes,"

"On"

"The"

"Prize"

Chloe panted. Beca swallowed hard as she saw Chloe's determined gaze. The air around them seemed to grow thicker. Beca glanced at her watch after a few minutes had passed and cleared her throat.

"Time. You're done."

Chloe performed the last sit up but she didn't make any effort to move herself from Beca's lap.

"I don't think I'm done yet, sergeant" the redhead panted as she wrapped her arms around Beca's neck and leaned so close that their faces were now touching. Beca could feel Chloe's warm breath on her face.

With one suave motion Chloe pushed the brunette on her back on the yoga mat. She looked hungrily at Beca as she placed her entire body weight on the woman lying beneath her and locked Beca's wrists to the mat with her own wrists.

"I'm just starting to _do_ you," Chloe whispered and crashed her lips with Beca's. Beca thought the sensations of overriding pleasure that followed after the redhead deepened the kiss and began exploring Beca's body with her hands would send the DJ to la la land in a matter of seconds. Beca closed her eyes and moved her hands on the length of her fit trainer's body. _Finally this is happening, _Beca rejoiced in her head and opened her eyes when she heard Chloe utter an especially arousing moan.

The dark of her bedroom greeted her mockingly. Chloe was nowhere to be seen. Beca buried her face in her pillow, punching her bed hard and growling in frustration that it was all just a dream.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: My sincerest apologies for the wait! Life takes unexpected turns sometimes, as soon as I thought I was more settled I got so busy all of a sudden. About the last chapter...Sorry but not sorry. :D So... Beca's gig is finally on. I had so much fun writing this chapter that it kind of exploded when I went on as I kept adding stuff and rewriting it. It became so long that I had to divide it into different chapters. Here's part 1. ;)**

Chapter 15.

Next morning Beca was just finishing her breakfast in the kitchen when she awoke persistent knocking at the front door. The DJ yawned as she slouched to the door still in her pajamas and a cup of coffee planted in her hand. She tried to be careful not to put too much weight on her hurt ankle as it still hurt when she was walking.

Beca swung the door open and was greeted by a tight-lipped smile from Aubrey Posen who didn't wait for an invite before passing Beca at the door and entering the house. When Aubrey stepped in the house Beca's eyes moved past the blonde doctor to see if she was accompanied by a certain redheaded personal trainer and felt a pang of disappointment when no one emerged behind the blonde doctor. After waking up from her unsatisfying but wet dream last night Beca had got up and checked the living room just in case the redhead would have stayed over. That was of course wishful thinking. Beca didn't know what time Chloe had left. She remembered the redhead carrying her to her bedroom and laying her down on the bed. Beca remembered the warmth that seemed to radiate from Chloe's arms and body. Beca smiled to herself as she thought back to how she had "accidentally" brushed Chloe's breast during their lovers' carry. When Beca had reached the kitchen she found a note on the kitchen island. Chloe wished she had slept well (ironic, Beca thought) and told her that Aubrey would be coming over first thing in the morning. The note ended with a 'see you soon'. Clearly soon wasn't this morning.

"Good morning Aubrey, please come in," Beca muttered sarcastically as she followed the blonde doctor into the living room. There Aubrey finally turned to look at the DJ who sat down on the couch and sipped her coffee in silence while waiting the blonde to say something. Beca had to admire Aubrey for always looking so put together and serene no matter what time of the day it was. If Aubrey was tired her carefully applied make-up hid it well. Or maybe she was a morning person. Beca was keen to believe the latter.

"Good morning Beca. How is your ankle?" the blonde questioned as she helped herself to the couch next to the yawning DJ.

"It's a little stiff but it doesn't hurt as much as yesterday."

Actually most of the pain was gone. Chloe was a magician, Beca decided. A magician with healing hands. Hands that had been working their magic on Beca in her dream last night…Oh wait. Aubrey's lips are moving. Did I miss something? Beca focused her eyes and ears on the blonde and was able to catch the blonde's last phrase.

"So do you mind if I take a closer look?"

Beca just rolled her eyes at Aubrey.

"And now you're asking for my permission?"

Aubrey frowned at the DJ's antics.

"I was led to believe that you were informed of my visit prior to my arrival."

"Indeed," Beca replied with a mocking British accent as she extended her leg towards the blonde. Sometimes she felt Aubrey belonged to a whole different era. The blonde, oblivious to Beca's thoughts, started to look at the ankle. Once in a while she turned the limb into different angles while asking Beca if she felt any pain when she moved the ankle.

It turned out that Beca had suffered only a minor sprain in her ankle. Aubrey extended the exercise ban for a few days but let the DJ get back to work at the recording studio. The blonde doctor emphasized that Beca had been lucky to not to have a worse injury and she lectured the DJ about the dangers of starting exercise after illness in a manner that made the brunette's ears turn into a bright shade of pink from shame. She felt like she was being told off again by her fourth grade teacher for not listening. After Aubrey lay down the law she made the DJ swear to refrain from exercising until the end of the week or may her vocal chords be ripped out by wolves. Beca had to admit that last part with the wolves was pretty creative.

The good news was that the ankle should heal in a week which was just in time for Beca's gig with Fat Amy. Beca humored herself by imagining how she would've looked on stage with crutches attached to her sides.

The whole ankle shenanigan meant though that Beca wouldn't see Chloe until the gig. She had arranged both Chloe and Aubrey a backstage pass and a tour prior to the event so that they would get a behind the scenes look into Beca's professional life. Until Friday she just had to content on giving the redhead a call to ask about how they should go on from now as they had hit the mark in the exercise schedule where it was time to evaluate the results so far and build from that towards the second half of the contract. Feeling happy that she had a real reason to call Chloe Beca lifted her phone to her ear and listened to the dialing tone.

xxx

Aubrey let out a sigh when she dropped her keys on the table next to the front door of her apartment. The blonde tensed when she heard noises from the kitchen but the inviting smell of baking that followed set her at ease. Aubrey placed her purse on the table next to the keys and followed the smell into the kitchen only to find her best friend pulling a tray of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. The cookies smelled divine. Suddenly Aubrey realized she had only had coffee for breakfast before leaving to check on Beca.

Chloe placed the tray carefully on the stove and examined the cookies in silence while she pulled the oven glove off her hand. She clearly had no idea Aubrey was standing in the doorway. The blonde couldn't help smiling. They had only fought a few times during their friendship and somehow the fights seemed to be usually resolved with food. This time would be no different.

The truth was that Aubrey only had Chloe's best interests at heart. She had tried to make her friend admit her feelings towards her star client but to no avail. Chloe was more stubborn than Aubrey had expected. Chloe would come around eventually. She would make sure of it. But for now she would drop the subject for the sake of friendship and cookies.

"Isn't it a little early for cookies?" Aubrey queried quietly and offered a small smile when Chloe spun around to look at her with wide eyes. The redhead had been so carried away with baking that she hadn't heard Aubrey come in at all.

"Is it ever too early for cookies?" Chloe returned with a hesitant smile dancing on her lips. Despite of the small smile on her best friend's face and friendly tone of voice she was well aware that the last time they talked they had yelled at each other long enough for Aubrey to storm out of the room.

Aubrey just shook her head lightly like she sensed Chloe's hesitation and stepped in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you last night."

Chloe ducked her head.

"Me too."

Aubrey could see her best friend's need to elaborate more than that but after a few moments when Chloe couldn't find the words to express her feelings she simply offered.

"Want a cookie?"

Aubrey nodded eagerly.

"Yes please. They smell divine."

For a while they both ate in silence. When they were finished they went for minutes without another word.

Aubrey was the first to break the silence.

"It's just a minor sprain. The ankle should be fully recovered in a week."

Chloe looked relieved. She sent silent thanks to Aubrey in her mind for not making her dig the information out of the blonde.

"Just in time for the gig."

A thoughtful smile danced across Aubrey's face. An idea started to form in her head. It consisted of three L's. She would need help from Luke and liqueur and hopefully that would eventually lead to lust. If everything went according to the plan they would both come out on top at the end, figuratively and literally.

"Just in time for the gig," she repeated, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.

xxx

Aubrey had to concentrate on carefully applying her lipstick. She was feeling a bit tipsy as she'd already had a few drinks before she and Chloe were scheduled to leave for Beca's gig.

"How do I look?" Chloe asked when she finished her makeup and turned to wink at Aubrey. The blonde eyed her up and down.

"Knocking it out of the park! You look gorgeous."

"Right back at ya. Here's to tonight," Chloe stated as she raised her glass.

"To getting laid," Aubrey stated when they clank their champagne glasses. Chloe giggled. She was feeling a bit tipsy as well. Aubrey had insisted they open a bottle of champagne before leaving for the gig. Chloe had to admit this was certainly an occasion for it. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had gone on a night out with her best friend. The fact that she was going to attend the sold out gig of DJ Beca Mitchell was something she hadn't thought of in her wildest dreams before she started working with the star DJ. Chloe had to admit that she had missed the petite DJ during the break. They had talked on the phone once when Beca had called in to discuss the progress they had made so far and the upcoming months in the contract. Chloe had suggested more out of duty than desire that usually at this point they would decrease the amount of meetings per week in order for Beca to take gradually more responsibility over her exercise plan. At the end of their contract Beca should be able to execute the exercise plan independently and she would meet Chloe when they made changes or additions to the plan. That was of course _usually. _As Beca had shown early on she was special. Chloe found herself giggling like a teenager when Beca joked about her insecurity of being in control of her "torture" plan as she called it. Beca deadpanned that she needed to see Chloe at least three times a week to keep her on the right track. Chloe rolled her eyes but who was she to deny her client's wish for more guidance? Chloe was glad Aubrey wasn't in the room to hear the conversation as it would've resulted in endless teasing from the blonde. They amiably agreed to meet on Monday following Beca's gig on Friday. The call ended with Beca cracking a joke about how that should give Chloe enough time to recover from her hangover from Friday. Chloe thought back to her first meeting with the famous DJ and smirked that she wasn't sure if she would be the one with the hangover on Saturday. Beca announced she accepted the challenge and finally ended the call before Chloe could come up with another punch line. Chloe stared her screen with a mixed expression of bemusement and annoyance. She hated when Beca got the last word in the conversation. Aubrey had very similar qualities sometimes...

Her thoughts traveled back to Aubrey who was now spinning in front of the mirror to get a better look of her backside.

"Luke is one lucky guy," Chloe grinned devilishly. At times like these she couldn't help herself. One moment of (drunken) weakness had given her teasing material for months. And the best part was that Aubrey seemed to get riled up with the slightest mentioning of the event. This time was no different.

The blonde made a face at her friend.

"You would say that! I thought we've talked about this."

"My lips are sealed. For real this time," Chloe promised and performed a zipping motion over her mouth. Aubrey didn't look too convinced.

xxx

Beca was seated in the makeup chair when a knock sounded at the door to her dressing room. Beca glanced in the mirror to see her stage manager Gail to pop her head in and announce that Chloe Beale and Aubrey Posen were here for the backstage tour. Beca had agreed to meet Chloe and Aubrey backstage before the gig to give them tour on how everything worked on the night of a gig. Beca told Gail that she could let the two in. Aubrey was the first to enter the room. She looked more relaxed than Beca had ever seen the blonde doctor. She wore her hair down and the tight white mini dress she wore highlighted her light complexion perfectly. Aubrey kept her cool though and didn't let it show if she was fazed for entering the dressing room of a celebrity. Beca blinked twice when Chloe entered the room after Aubrey. The redhead had waves in her hair and she wore a black dress that barely reached halfway through her thigh. Beca thanked the designer of the dress silently for constructing the dress in a way that it exposed some skin around Chloe's incredibly fit midsection. The look was completed by six inch heels that Beca immediately named "come and fuck me senseless heels". The redhead was armed with a smile that had the power to melt Beca into a big liquid puddle. Aubrey followed the interaction between the two women carefully and couldn't help rolling her eyes when Beca basically undressed Chloe with her eyes. The DJ had a look that said she was taking no prisoners tonight.

Both Aubrey and Chloe greeted the Beca with enthusiasm. As soon as Beca was freed from the makeup chair she proceeded to give her guests a quick run-through of the night of a gig. Aubrey looked approving when Beca showed her the contents of her snack selection before the gig. Chloe told Beca that if she needed to let some pressure out before the gig she could do a few push ups before hitting the stage. Nothing too strenuous or too much to break a sweat but just to give her body to something else to concentrate on instead of just stressing about the upcoming event.

It was at that moment when Gail showed up again to announce that Beca had to get going since she had another meeting before the start of the show. Beca looked truly apologetic for having to cut their tour a little short. Her eyes met with Chloe's first and then moved onto Aubrey's. She directed her next words towards the blonde.

"I told Luke to take good care of you tonight. And Chloe as well," Beca joked. That made the blonde doctor blush.

"He'll be with you in a second. I'll see you after the show?"

"Can't wait," Chloe beamed before she could stop herself. Beca had a bemused expression on her face when she turned and followed her stage manager. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. Chloe ignored her friend purposely and turned to look in Beca's direction one last time.

Beca was talking to two people. One of them was a dark-haired guy with dark brown eyes and the other was a tall brunette woman with a very model-looking quality to her with her long legs and lithe figure. Chloe gathered from their seemingly relaxed body language that the three were close friends. The guy gave Beca an awkward hug after which the leggy brunette model-looking woman placed a hand on Beca's shoulder and leaned in to kiss the DJ on the cheek. Enough said Chloe felt something twist into a tight knot inside her when she observed the contact between the two women.

She was forced to turn away from the sight finally when she felt Aubrey yank her arm and urging her to keep walking because Luke was approaching them with a big smile on his face. Now it was Chloe's time to roll her eyes because as soon as the handsome Brit appeared Aubrey put her full charm on and flashed a million megawatt smile in his direction.

xxx

Beca grinned from her spot at the DJ booth when Amy started her show. Beca thought the Australian was always hilarious. Tonight Amy had decided to include more jokes on her and Beca's friendship than usual. As per usual she hadn't given any warning to Beca for what was coming up so the DJ just had to improvise and try to keep up with the witty Australian.

"The advertising has been a bit misleading because it says _featuring_ Fat Amy but I think you all know who the main act is tonight," Amy then mouthed _me _and pointed at herself. The crowd chuckled with the Australian.

"So tonight I've brought a friend who has the unfortunate task of trying to perform in my fat shadow after I've smashed this show. I thought I'd give her a chance because she's like just starting out in the music business. Have any of you even heard the name Beca Mitchell before?"

The crowd went crazy and Amy looked slightly annoyed.

"Please hold your applause until it's for me," she told the crowd and made everyone laugh again.

"I asked Beca to join me for the first part of my show. Otherwise the poor pipsquek would be probably sitting alone backstage not knowing what to do with herself. Poor thing is probably having a nervous breakdown any minute now. Everyone, say hi to Beca. How are you feeling up there?"

All 300 something people in the club now turned their attention to Beca. Someone handed her a microphone. She put her free hand in her pocket and nodded at Amy.

"I'm feeling okay, thanks."

"Well that's a surprise. This is like one of your first gigs right? Not much experience in the business so far?"

Beca laughed with the crowd and raised the microphone to her lips again.

"Thanks for _inviting me _Amy. I'm so grateful you're giving me a break."

"You're welcome shorty. You know I'm doing you a huge favor, right?" Amy winked and made the crowd bellow with laughter again.

Beca nodded again and mouthed her thanks to the blonde standup comedian. Amy went full speed ahead now.

"Beca, I have to say that the only way to try to describe our relationship is that you're the gay Tony Okungbowa to my straight Ellen DeGeneras."

Beca crossed her arms over her chest that was heaving with laughter. _Good one, _she mouthed Amy.

"According to the latest TMZ reports Beca doesn't have a girlfriend though…"

There were some excited screams and whistling from the audience.

Amy chanced a quick glance at the brunette DJ before delivering her next line.

"I bet my sexy fat ass that a lot of ladies here tonight who would like to diddle her skittle if you know what I mean..."

Beca's eyebrows shot up to her hairline at Amy's choice of words. The Australian always knew how to startle her completely. The response from the crowd was crazy. There were more than one or two people who had their drinks coming out of their noses.

Amy waited a few moments for the crowd to calm down.

"But enough about her. She's just the second act of the night anyway." Amy nodded at Beca that she could go now so Beca exited the booth to go and prepare for her gig that was scheduled to start in an hour. Beca went into her dressing room and sat down on the couch. She had a similar routine before each gig. First some light snacks that had gotten considerably healthier ever since she started working with Aubrey, some quiet time to herself and then chatting with Luke. He had been with her backstage before each and every gig Beca had ever performed. Beca decided to add the 10 push ups that Chloe had suggested to her routine from now on. She was performing her push ups when Luke walked in. The Brit raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen her protégé exercise before her collapse on stage and now she was face to face with a woman who performed 10 full length push ups with ease. Beca had come a long way in these past months. The DJ was finally finding a balance. Luke thought he should extend his thanks to both Chloe Beale for making impossible possible. Aubrey Posen had played a big part too with nutrition but Luke wasn't blind. There was chemistry between Beca and her trainer unlike anything he had seen the DJ to develop before. Luke wasn't sure if the DJ knew how much she let in by just her tone of voice and facial expressions when someone talked about Chloe Beale. He very much liked this lighter side of Beca but he was also cautious about staying in the background in whatever was developing or had already developed between the DJ and her personal trainer. Personal trainer client relationships were intimate by nature because of the information that was shared but Luke had a feeling there was something more burgeoning between the two. He would cross the bridge when they came to it.

"Ready Freddy?" Luke asked like he always did before Beca's gigs.

"Freddy ready," Beca replied and moved back to the couch.

They were silent for a while before Luke quietly announced that it was time to go. Beca's palms started sweating. She always felt a little nervous before hitting the stage but tonight even more so. She knew there were reporters and members of her record label in the audience but they weren't the cause for her nervousness. There was only one person in the audience who could make her feel this way. Beca and Luke reached the side of the stage. The crowd was already chanting Be-ca, Be-ca. The brunette turned to her manager.

"Luke, could you do me favor?"

The manager looked at her protégé who seemed more nervous than usual. Luke nodded.

"Can you go and check that all the people I requested to be in the front row are there?"

Luke didn't ask any questions because he already guessed the reason for Beca's nervousness. It was pretty cute actually. He held his tongue this time though since he guessed that Beca would have his head if he mentioned anything to the DJ. He left Beca's side to come back after a few moments.

"I have Stacie, Jesse, Aubrey… and Chloe in the front row." He paused after the three names to see Beca's reaction. Beca looked indifferent though. She seemed to have shaken off the nervousness while Luke was gone. Now she was Beca Mitchell, the famous DJ who lived to entertain.

Beca stepped in her place at the DJ booth when the announcer yelled her name. She searched for a pair of ocean blue eyes and flaming red hair in the audience and found them. She gave a wink and received a beaming smile in return. Beca was now ready to bring the house down.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Part 2 of the gig is up! Can't wait to hear your comments on this one. I had so much fun writing it!**

Chapter 16.

To say Chloe was impressed would be an understatement. The gig was something completely out of this world. She had been in the front row with Aubrey the whole time. Beca's two friends were there as well but not close enough for them to strike conversation.

Beca had started the gig with some of her older material and advanced into her latest hit mashups. Chloe felt thrilled to watch the DJ to perform so effortlessly in her element. Chloe thought Beca looked so hot in the booth with her headphones on and spinning like there was no tomorrow.

She had her trademark dark eye makeup on and she glanced at the audience once in a while. Chloe wasn't sure if she was imagining things or not but she felt the the DJ's gaze sweep over the front row more than other sections of the audience. These things alone would have been enough to set everyone in the club on a frenzy but it was the grand finale Beca had in store that put the atmosphere through the roof. Beca had decided to include some new material from her upcoming album.

Chloe gasped in surprise with the 300 other audience members when Beca called up Ke$ha to join her on stage. The crowd went absolutely ballistic when the two artists sang their upcoming track together for the first time.

It was the same song Beca and the blonde singer had been working on when Chloe visited the recording studio. Back then it had only been their voices and a few simple beats but now that a full arrangement accompanied the song it sounded completely different. The only thing that was exactly the same was Beca's piercingly beautiful voice. Chloe observed with a sense of wonder when the DJ took the stage. She made it look like she had done it thousand times before even though this was the first time when Beca had actually stepped out behind her DJ booth on stage in front of people.

The audience including Chloe was absolutely blown away by the performance. When the song ended the club erupted in applause that seemed to go on forever. Beca and Ke$ha let out their excitement over the volume that boomed in the relatively small space. Beca lifted her microphone holding hand up and waved at the audience. Chloe could tell from her spot in the front row that Beca's whole body was shaking all the way to her microphone holding hand. The brunette took her time to catch her breath before she started to thank the audience. Beca seemed overwhelmed when she started thanking the audience, Ke$ha and her team as the gig drew to a close. She left the stage together with the blonde singer after another set of roaring applause. Chloe observed Ke$ha wrapping her arm around Beca's shoulders and saying something to the shorter woman while they walked. Beca's steps seemed a little more wobbly than usual. Next Ke$ha was throwing her head back in laughter and then Chloe couldn't see them anymore as they disappeared backstage.

xxx

The second Beca turned around and started walking off the stage her legs felt like jelly. All the adrenaline that had gone through her veins during the performance seemed to wear off now. Ke$ha was walking beside her looking more relaxed but then again she had done this a million times before. The blonde singer turned to the brunette.

"How awesome was that? They absolutely loved that song! You killed it on that stage."

Beca's head was spinning and she felt dizzy. She just had it in her head that she couldn't collapse on stage now. Not after what happened five months ago.

"Don't let me fall on stage. Don't let me faint in front of all these people," Beca begged as she was scared her knees would give in any second now. The blonde singer threw her head back and roared in laughter as she wrapped her arm firmly around Beca's shoulders.

"Don't worry I got you. Although if I wouldn't I'm pretty sure a certain redhead from the front row would be there to catch you when you fall. I'd pay real money to see that."

xxx

Beca met Jesse, Stacie and Amy after her set. Their excited faces gave her the feedback she was looking for but she asked anyway.

"What did you guys think?"

"That last song just killed me. Hit me right here," Jesse exclaimed, bringing his hand to his heart theatrically.

"You're so talented," Stacie sighed as she pulled Beca for a hug.

"Nicely done midget," Amy stated as she hugged Beca as well. When they pulled apart the Australian took a good look at the petite brunette.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? You've been sick, twisted your ankle, did I miss something? Oh yeah, how's the hot ginger? Are you any closer to diddling her skittle, going south on her, hitting a homerun?"

Beca chuckled awkwardly and looked around her just to make sure Chloe wasn't standing behind her listening to their conversation.

"Coast is clear. Now, what's the deal?" Amy urged her.

Beca told her friends that the truth was she really didn't know. She knew where she wanted their relationship to go (from dreams to reality that was but she still didn't know if Chloe resented the idea of getting involved with a client or getting involved with her more specifically. She really had no way of telling how the redhead actually felt. Beca only knew what she saw and felt. They connected and it just made sense. There were moments when she would look at Chloe and think that the redhead thought the same but the redhead always left it at that if the line in their client trainer relationships became blurry. Beca was keen to believe that Chloe cared very deeply about the ethics involved in these kinds of relationships. She just wished that if that was the only obstacle standing in the way of them being together that the redhead wouldn't be stubborn enough to not see the forest for the trees.

"What do you guys think?" Beca asked nervously. She valued her friends' opinions. That was when they actually decided to take things seriously. Especially Stacie had problems with that. The tall brunette nodded her head thoughtfully.

"That's some deep shit. She's so hot she makes me want to switch teams."

"Don't even think about it Stacie. You can't go after her."

The tall brunette uttered a laughter.

"I was just messing with you. In all honesty though I don't think she would come around even if I did. I think she only has eyes for you. Either she's completely oblivious to the fact or then she just doesn't want to admit it."

xxx

Chloe sipped her cocktail as she observed Beca getting swarmed by friends and admirers at the other end of the club's VIP area. The petite DJ was accompanied by Fat Amy the standup comedian and the man and the woman Chloe had seen talking to Beca earlier. The man was motioning with his hands animatedly and Beca was laughing. Chloe watched the leggy brunette woman place her hand affectionately on Beca's shoulder as they laughed together at something the man said.

Chloe couldn't help feeling irritated as the woman clearly stood closer to Beca than was necessary. The next thing Chloe knew the tall brunette bent over to whisper something in the DJ's ear and _squeezed_ the DJ's butt. Beca jumped a little and slapped the other woman on the arm even though she really didn't seem to mind the contact. Chloe noticed she was clenching her cocktail glass harder than necessary and loosened her grip. She turned the contents of the glass with one go and started walking towards the group that surrounded the DJ. Aubrey followed in tow with a wide smile planted firmly on her face.

xxx

Stacie leaned closer to whisper in Beca's ear.

"Can you take a look over your shoulder and tell me if that's your ginger in the black dress standing next to a blonde in a white dress?"

Beca quickly glanced over her shoulder to see that Chloe and Aubrey were standing safely out of earshot but looking at her direction.

"That's Chloe and Aubrey alright."

Stacie grinned mischievously at her petite DJ friend.

"The ginger looks like she wants to slap me which only means good things for you. Wanna try to make her jealous?"

"I'm game," Beca winked and in the next second felt Stacie squeeze her ass without warning.

"Ouch! That hurt," she exclaimed as she smacked the taller woman in the arm. Stacie stuck her tongue out at the shorter brunette but then her grin grew even wider when she glanced over Beca's shoulder and saw a determined looking redhead approaching them with a blonde woman in tow.

"You're welcome. They're heading over now."

"What did you do now Stacie…" Beca sighed as she turned to smile at the pair who now stood in front of her. Chloe eyed Stacie up and down slightly suspiciously which didn't go unnoticed by Beca and then sent a heart-melting smile at the DJ's direction which also didn't go unnoticed by Beca. Beca greeted the pair.

"Chloe, Aubrey! Did you enjoy the show?"

"Absolutely loved it! You were amazing," Aubrey complimented the DJ and made Beca's cheeks flush a little. It wasn't very often she received such a praise from the blonde doctor. Beca turned nervously at the redheaded trainer. She thought Chloe had enjoyed herself so far but hearing it from the gorgeous ginger herself would make all the difference.

Chloe's eyes were directed at Beca when she spoke. She felt her nerves get to her suddenly. She opened her mouth and first no words came out. Finally she blurted.

"What you did on that stage was just wow. Especially that last song with Ke$ha. Wow. I'm at loss of words."

Beca merely grinned. Chloe at loss of words must have been one of the cutest things she'd ever seen.

Chloe felt relieved when after a moment's silence Beca apologized that she had to go and say hi to some other people in the VIP area and suggested that Aubrey and Chloe would enjoy the free drinks at the bar. Liquid courage was exactly what Chloe needed now.

Chloe lost count on how many drinks she'd had somewhere between the fourth glass of champagne and her third tequila shot of the night. She felt like her head was spinning a little but she didn't say no when Aubrey put another colorful cocktail in front of her. They sipped their drinks while they watched Beca talk to her manager a few tables away from them in the VIP area.

"Luke's so hot! I think I want to go home with him," Aubrey exclaimed.

"He's a total catch. You've been circling each other long enough! It's about time you did something about it!" Chloe wiggled her eyebrows to emphasize her point.

Aubrey swayed a little without noticing as she turned to look at her redheaded friend.

"Speaking about circling around what's the situation with that hot ass DJ client of yours?" Aubrey gave herself a pat on the back to come up with such a witty reply in her blurry mind.

"There's no circling around! She's still my client!" Chloe tried to look indifferent but failed. Aubrey threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"C'moon Chloe! I've seen you guys interact tonight! Body language doesn't lie. She's into you, you're into her. Make a move already!"

"I'm just having a good time. We flirt but that's it. I told you I wouldn't get involved." Chloe wasn't still too drunk to deny the attraction although it was so obvious to Aubrey.

"Well then you probably don't mind if I ask them to come over for a little while, do you?"

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea –" Chloe protested but it was too late. Aubrey waved at the two and motioned them to come over.

The blonde doctor gave Luke the biggest smile as the handsome Brit greeted her. They had been sending looks back and forth the whole evening so it was no surprise that Aubrey gladly accepted when Luke asked her to dance.

That left Chloe with Beca. The ginger smiled at the DJ and bit her lower lip nervously, not sure what to say. She wasn't exactly in her comfort zone in a jam packed club with alcohol clouding her thoughts and urging her to do things to the DJ she had so far successfully resisted when she was sober. Beca's voice and a light touch on her shoulder edged its way into her consciousness through all the haze.

"You wanna dance?" Chloe found herself nodding. It wasn't in her power to say no. Beca grabbed Chloe's her hand and led them to the center of the packed dance floor. Somewhere along the way Chloe realized she'd never seen the DJ dance before. They passed Luke and Aubrey on their way. Aubrey reached over Luke's shoulder and formed a V with her fingers and stuck her tongue through the gap pretending to lick. Chloe's gave the blonde a dirty look as her friend just giggled and quickly pretended to awkwardly scratch her chin when Beca turned to look at the blonde doctor.

Beca finally stopped walking when she felt like they were in a good spot in the middle of the dance floor. She spun around to face Chloe and started dancing to the music. It was impossible not to dance close to each other as the dance floor was so crowded. When Flo Rida's Low blasted through the speakers Chloe screamed in excitement and hugged a thoroughly surprised Beca furiously.

"I love this song! This is an awesome playlist!" She yelled. Beca had placed her hand instinctively on Chloe's back as the ginger hugged her and she let it stay there while they started dancing to the song. Chloe didn't do anything to move the arm and so after a while Beca placed her other hand on Chloe's back as well. Beca's breath hitched in her throat when the ginger smiled and placed her arms around the DJ's neck. They hit the floor many times in sync with the lyrics of the song. Chloe was leaving all she'd got on the dance floor and making Beca dizzy every time their hips touched even lightly. All Beca could do was to hold on to the redhead to stop her from falling on the floor.

Beca wasn't sure if it was after four or 14 songs when Chloe finally detached her hands from around the brunette's neck and threw her hands in the air while shaking her ass from side to side.

"This ginger needs more jiggle juice!"

Beca couldn't help giggling at Chloe's choice of words as it was now the redhead's turn to grab her hand and lead them through the crowd to the bar. After they had downed two shots each Beca noticed Aubrey coming through the crowd with Luke, both of them looking extremely flushed. Beca smirked at her manager and pulled him to the side when she realized Aubrey was yanking Chloe's arm and dragging her a few steps away from the DJ and the manager. The blonde doctor pulled her friend closer so that Chloe could hear her. Beca and Luke stood and watched the conversation.

Aubrey had a pleading look in her eyes.

"Luke's coming over to our place," She announced chirpily. Chloe's expression was confused.

"What? Why can't you go over to his place?"

Aubrey leaned in to whisper in Chloe's ear.

"He's having a bathroom reno and the place is a mess. We can't go there."

"But what am I supposed to do? Go into a hotel or something?" Chloe hissed irritated.

"I'm sorry. I just need to get laid so bad!" Aubrey whispered back. Chloe huffed in frustration. The blonde leaned closer again.

"Ask Beca. I'm sure she could arrange something."

After a moment of thinking Aubrey's lips curled into a Cheshire grin. Chloe knew from experience that was never good.

"She has a massive house, doesn't she? I'm sure she wouldn't mind putting you in one of the guest bedrooms."

"No. Don't you dare-"

Chloe wasn't fast enough though. Aubrey had already turned to the petite DJ told her without blinking that she thought Chloe should stay with the DJ for the night as Aubrey was concerned about her friend's safety if she went to "some hotel" for the night. Chloe could only open and close her mouth when she heard Beca agree in a heartbeat. Chloe didn't know if she should direct her next words to Aubrey or Beca so she chose to look at both of them. Her alcohol blurred mind still held some thoughts.

"I'm not sure if this is such a good idea…"

"It's not a big deal", Beca assured her with a wave of her hand. Chloe gave Aubrey the best glare she could muster considering she'd had closer to twenty drinks that night. The blonde just quickly hugged her friend and made her way towards the exit where Luke was already waiting holding their jackets. Aubrey sent an air kiss to their direction before disappearing through the door after Luke.

Beca and Chloe didn't stay long after Aubrey and Luke's departure. They exited the club through the back door and into Beca's limo that was waiting for them.

Beca stumbled on the window seat and Chloe plopped next to her so close that their bodies almost touched. There would've been enough space in the limo for Chloe sit way further from the DJ but Beca wasn't complaining. She felt shivers when Chloe leaned over and whispered in her ear:

"This is the first time I've been to a limo."

Beca turned her head to face the ginger and couldn't stop herself from looking at Chloe's bright red lips as they were right there only inches apart from her own lips. Beca reminded herself that Chloe was even drunker than she was. There was a good chance the redhead wouldn't remember anything tomorrow morning. She returned her eyes on Chloe's reluctantly as she whispered back.

"Then I'm glad I get to share it with you."

Chloe smiled happily and Beca already thought the redhead was going to lean in for a kiss but Chloe only placed her head on the DJ's shoulder and whispered.

"I'm so glad I met you. I knew we were going to be fast friends."

Beca placed her head on top of Chloe's and closed her eyes. Then she sighed.

"I'm so glad I passed out on stage." It made Chloe giggle. When Chloe moved her head back Beca could smell the familiar scent of Chloe's perfume again. As always the scent made her a little dizzy.

"God you smell good," Beca sighed as she led her head drop on the side of Chloe's head.

"It's Chloé," the redhead whispered.

"I know who you are," Beca slurred and giggled.

"No silly, the perfume. Chloé by Chloé. On Chloe. Isn't that funny?"

It made both of them giggle hysterically.

They stayed silent for the rest of the drive. When the car finally came into a stop Beca was the first to get out and then she helped Chloe out. The limo left and Beca turned to dial the security code of the gate. She felt Chloe place her hand on Beca's shoulder.

"Why didn't you give that code to the driver? He could've dropped us off at the front door."

"I have trust issues," Beca stated as the gate opened.

"You gave the code to me," Chloe questioned. Beca could see the redhead was a bit unsteady on her feet as she held tight to Beca's shoulder.

"That's because you're special," Beca replied simply and offered her arm to Chloe. The redhead reached to grab it but missed by a mile and fell on the concrete instead. Beca couldn't help snickering when she eyed her trainer who was now on all fours on the ground.

"Never thought I would be the one crawling up this road", Chloe commented thoughtfully as she tried to get up.

"Tables have turned," Beca remarked with a smile and helped the redhead up. This time Chloe was able to hold on to Beca's arm and they made their way slowly towards the house.

Chloe leaned heavily on Beca and the DJ tried her best to stop the redhead from falling down again. They made it inside the house and as Beca tried to escort the redhead to the guest bedroom she stopped and wouldn't move.

"Why can't I sleep here?" she questioned and pointed at the open doorway that led to Beca's room.

"But that's my bedroom," Beca stated but Chloe just shook her head.

"You can sleep anywhere you want but I'm sleeping there," Chloe announced as she wobbled a bit on her feet.

"Well I'm sleeping in my own bed," Beca stated as they started towards her bedroom.

"I'm sure there's room for both of us," Chloe added as they reached the door. Beca didn't say anything. Who was she to say no to Chloe Beale?

Beca slid in on her side of the bed without bothering to remove her clothing. She only kicked her shoes off. Beca watched as Chloe slid next to her. They both lay on their backs on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly Chloe sat straight up and looked at Beca, terrified.

"I never go to bed without a shower."

Out of all the things that could've been said at that moment this was probably the weirdest. Beca sat up as well and chuckled.

"Then go and shower. You know where the bathroom is. There should be towels as well."

Chloe stood up and she was already at the door but then she turned to look at Beca, with a deer in the headlights look on her face again.

"I need help getting out of this dress."

Beca was barely able to stand up on her feet.

"With pleasure," she dragged as Chloe turned her back on Beca so that the DJ could unzip her dress. Beca did it slowly and admired the revelation of Chloe's muscular back under the garment.

"Done," Beca announced proudly and stepped back. Beca was greeted with quite a view when Chloe shed her dress on the floor and revealed the sultriest black lace lingerie underneath.

Chloe giggled as she glanced at Beca over her shoulder.

"I'll be right back."

Beca was glad she was standing in front of her bed as she felt her knees gave in the moment Chloe left the room. She fell on her bed and stared the ceiling with a ridiculous smile on her face. If there was a god Chloe Beale in her black lacy glory must be his making.

Beca was already half asleep when the very wet Chloe returned only to jump in the bed and shake Beca out of her slumber. As drops of water splashed on her face Beca felt suddenly wide awake. It took her a moment to recall what happened just before she dozed off. Her eyes shot up and down Chloe's form as the redhead leaned over on the bed.

"Couldn't find a towel…but I brought these," the redhead giggled and revealed a vodka bottle and two shot glasses behind her back.

"You're in for a ride girl", Chloe winked as she handed Beca her first shot glass. Beca looked up to meet Chloe's darkened eyes and felt something ignite inside her when she took on the unspoken challenge. She downed her first shot. Chloe Beale could take her to the moon and back if she wished.


End file.
